HP Year 4: Voldemort Returns
by Shanster
Summary: After being adopted by Sirius and Remus, Harry finds himself playing an unwilling participant in the TriWizard Tournament. Along with this he has to deal with imposter teachers, broken friendships and his worst fear becoming reality. Warning: Contains self harm.
1. Story Notes

**Quick notes**

The sequel, _HP Year 5: Let the war begin_, has now been added. Feel free to go check it out!  
The second sequel, _HP Year 6_, has also been added!

**Disclaimer**: All recognisable characters and plots belong, of course, to the talented JK Rowling. This story was written for fun, not profit. Please don't sue me. I'm only fourteen, it's not as if I have a lot of money anyway!

* * *

**BACKGROUND STORY INFO**

_Will add more to this when needed._

Certain events transpired during Harry's previous Hogwarts years which led to a close bond between Harry and Severus. This is partly explained in the sequel, _HP Year 5_, but I will eventually also write a series of one-shots which will explain this in more detail. After having faced Professor Quirrel at the end of his first year, Harry also started receiving some training from Severus to enable him to better protect himself in future.

* * *

Big thanks to Lizzie of who Beta-read my first two chapters. Big thanks to Abi who Beta'd chapter 7 and last of all, thanks to my latest Beta: Suspended, who has been beta'ing since chapter 9.


	2. Getting Rescued

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 1

Harry woke abruptly with a groan, clamping both hands over the burning lightning-bolt scar on his forehead as foreign emotion coursed through his body. He felt angry. No,_ furious_. Harry figured that could only be a good thing, as anything that angered Voldemort would be beneficial to the rest of the world.

Harry had been getting flashes of Voldermorts emotions since just before the start of the holidays and recently he had began having dreams, too. His first one had been of Voldermort and Pettigrew going over some plans, although Harry hadn't been able to hear them properly. Pettigrew had changed a lot from when Harry had last seen him at the end of his third year, clearly having had a lost of weight and looking pale and scared, but that wasn't what had surprised Harry the most although he did wonder how Pettigrew had escaped from the Ministry. No, what shocked Harry the most was who Pettigrew was with. Voldemort. He looked markedly different than the previous two times that Harry had seen him, once in the back of his professor's head and once as a teen aged boy. At least both those times he had looked like a person. Now, he was vaguely child-like in appearance in an abstract way, but his skin was almost snakelike and very grey and ill looking. His eyes had been the worst though, as they glowed a dark amber colour. Even the mere memory was enough to make Harry shudder.

Tearing his mind away from those thoughts, Harry began the struggle of disentangling himself from his bed sheets, no easy feat with how weak his body felt. He felt like an idiot for having waited so long, for being so naive and trusting. The Dursleys were gone, leaving him locked in his room with bars over the window, and he'd told Hedwig to stay with Ron for the summer so he had no way of contacting his friends. He didn't know why he had trusted the Dursleys, they had certainly never given him any reason to in the past, but he had believed that they wouldn't leave him here to rot away in his room. He knew that they hated him, he'd always known that, but they'd never taken things as far as they had this summer. Now, after a few days of no food or water, he realised that they probably weren't coming back, but he didn't have the energy to do anything about it.

A sudden noise from downstairs startled Harry out of his thoughts. Knowing that it definitely was not the Dursleys returning, he felt his heart start to pound in fear. Who was that? A burglar? As if Harry would ever be lucky enough to merely have a burglar. What if it was one of Voldemort's servants? He had heard his name being mentioned in Voldemort's and Pettigrew's discussion. This was just his luck, when he was too tired and injured to even attempt to defend himself! Not that he could do much anyway as his uncle had locked all of his magical things away upon his return to Privet Drive.

Harry was frozen in place, his heart pounding against his chest as he heard feet coming up the stairs. It sounded like two people. Two Death Eaters? Harry forced himself to stay completely still under his blanket, not especially hard to do, given the pain that travelled through him at the slightest movement. He heard a soft, "Alohamora," being whispered outside his door, and all the locks instantly clicked open, leaving the door to open silently. He held his breath, even knowing that it was futile as he heard the footsteps moving towards him.

When the blanket was pulled off of Harry, he couldn't help but flinch back, and then hissed in pain as the movement jostled his injuries.

"Harry," said an anguished, familiar voice. Harry opened the eyes that he hadn't even realised he had squeezed shut and found his godfather, Sirius Black, staring back at him. Remus Lupin, his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor from the previous year, stood beside him, gazing at him with barely-concealed shock and anger.

"Harry, who did this to you?" Remus demanded angrily.

Harry stared back, too surprised at the sudden appearances of the two men to answer. Sirius seemed to realise this, and quickly moved the subject on.

"Let's just get out of here, Moony," he said quickly, although he too sounded angry and like he very much wanted answers. "You look like death warmed up, Harry."

"I feel like it," Harry agreed, closing his eyes as fatigue swam through his body. He decided not to question his good luck at being rescued and to just go along with it. "Where are we going?"

"We'll be going to the Black family house," Sirius answered him, sitting down on the bed beside him. "My childhood home. It isn't a very nice place to be and it needs redecorated but we thought you might like to help with that, since you'll be living there."

"Really?" Harry asked, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever. Sirius had given him the offer to live with him at the end of his third year, but he hadn't truly believed anything would come of it. "I didn't know if you would still want me to..."

"Of course I do, Harry! You're my godson. Nothing would make me happier!" Sirius sounded shocked at the very idea of not wanting Harry to live with him.

"I'm glad," Harry replied, still smiling. "How are we getting there?"

"We'll be travelling by portkey," Remus answered him, reigning his emotions in. "Where are your things, Harry? I'll go fetch them."

"My trunk's in the cupboard under the stairs, and there are a few things under a loose floorboard down there," Harry pointed out which floorboard, before relaxing against his bed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed in the world, but he was so tired that he didn't care._  
_

"Alright, I won't be long." Remus hurried from the room.

"I've missed you, kiddo," Sirius told him after Remus had left, sounding sad. "If I had known... I would have tried to hurry things along."

"I missed you too," Harry replied softly. "And it's not your fault. I know what the Ministry is like. I'm just glad you did come." He avoided eye contact as he felt Sirius take his hand in his own.

"Harry… how long have you been here on your own?"

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted. "I haven't really been able to keep track. Only a few days though, I think." Remus re entered the room then and Harry raised his gaze to watch his ex-professor pluck everything out from the loose floorboard and slip it into his trunk. Then, keeping a tight grip of the trunk, he stepped forward and held out an empty _Pringles_ tub. As soon as Harry and Sirius had a finger on it, he tapped it with his wand, and Harry felt a strange jerk behind his navel before he slammed onto a hard floor, supported by Sirius, who by now had a strong grip of him.

Harry vaguely registered that they were in an old-styled kitchen with stone walls and floors before he felt his Godfather pick him up. He would usually protest such treatment, but in all honesty he didn't know if he would be able to support his body weight just now. He closed his eyes and tried to relax against the hol, and a few moments later felt them going up stairs. After a few minutes he felt himself lowered onto something soft, and opened his eyes to see himself in a bedroom, decorated with Gryffindor colours, red and gold. Remus followed them in to the room, carrying a few potions bottles which he handed to Sirius.

"Drink up," Sirius told him, gently pouring the potions down Harry's throat. They tasted disgusting, but Harry recognized one to be a healing potion Madam Pomfrey had used, and another one to be a Dreamless Sleep potion. He had no idea what the other two were, but he trusted Sirius and Remus and obligingly drank them. The last thing he noticed was Remus' wand hovering over his body as he drifted off to sleep.

.

When Harry woke up, the room was in darkness. And empty. He was dressed in somewhat comfortable pyjamas, which he guessed must have been transfigured from his clothes, and his glasses were on a chest of drawers next to his bed. He slipped them on, bringing the fuzzy room into focus. There was a desk against one wall, with drawers in it, and a small lamp sitting on it, one that he recognised as being designed to interact with the _Lumos_ spell since electricity didn't work around magic. There was a large wardrobe, a few shelves on the wall which were empty but for two books, and a chair beside the window. All in all, it was a rather grand bedroom in Harry's opinion. As he slipped out of bed, he was amused to find he had red socks on, matching his red-and-gold striped pyjamas. The whole Gryffindor theme seemed a little much, but it was comforting too, to be reminded of Hogwarts which he had considered his home for the past three years.

He didn't really know where he was going when he stepped out of the room into a dark hallway, but he could remember coming up some stairs, so he decided his best bet was to go down. He could figure out what to do from there. When he reached flat ground again, he could hear Remus and Sirius talking in low voices, and followed the sound to find himself in the kitchen they'd arrived in. Both of them looked up when he appeared in the doorway and went quiet.

"Come sit down, Harry," Sirius patted the chair beside him, and Harry quickly obeyed, feeling awkward with the two men staring at him. Remus was sitting opposite Sirius, a large wooden table separating them.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked, sitting down his cup of tea and looking at Harry concernedly.

"Better than I have in ages," he admitted. "Well, since Hogwarts, anyway. Thanks for... you know."

"Harry," Sirius started, somewhat hesitantly. "How long have the Dursleys been abusing you? You were injured pretty badly. We had to have Madam Pomfrey check you over while you were sleeping. Have they always hurt you like that?" Harry looked down at his lap, avoiding the gazes of the two men beside him.

"They've been doing it for a long time," he said quietly. "This summer was by far the worst, though. Guess the whole Aunt Marge thing pushed them over the edge. They didn't usually... I mean, my uncle, he didn't usually hurt me that badly... it wasn't really that bad."

"Harry, of course it was 'that bad'," said Sirius firmly. "No one should ever have raised a hand to you! That's abuse! You didn't deserve to be treated like that! Whether he left a mark or not, it was bad, you shouldn't try to downplay their behaviour like that!" Harry stared at his lap, feeling too ashamed to meet their gazes.

"What else did they do while you were supposed to be in their care?" Remus asked gently. Harry just shook his head, not looking up.

"Harry." Sirius's voice was gentle, but firm, as he used his hand to push Harry's gaze upwards. "We need to know these things if we want to get those horrid people back for what they've done to you. We don't need lots of detail, but we _need_ to know, Harry. Can you help us?" Harry let out a sigh of resignation before nodding. If he didn't tell them now, they'd make him tell them later. Might as well get it over with.

"Good," Sirius told him with a small smile of approval.

"Harry, you've lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you," Remus told him. "Did they not feed you enough?"

"They just fed me whenever they felt like it," Harry said shortly, and then he rushed out the next part of his answer before he lost his nerve. "According to them food is a privilege. They didn't usually starve me for more than three or four days at a time, though." He ignored the disgusted looks on the two men's faces, waiting for the next question and feeling self-conscious.

"How often did they hurt you?" Remus asked, when it was obvious Sirius had lost his voice. "_Why_ did they hurt you?"

Harry fiddled around with the hem of his shirt, avoiding eye contact once more as he answered. "Not too often, really... it was only when I did accidental magic. Or if I didn't get the chores finished on time. Or if my uncle was drunk..."

"Chores? What kind of chores did you do?" Sirius asked.

"Anything they could think of, or that they couldn't be bothered doing themselves," Harry said, picking at his pyjama sleeves. "Cooking, cleaning, painting the shed, weeding, shopping... you name it."

There was a long pause before Sirius, sounding pained to ask it, voiced another question. "Harry, did any of them ever… sexually abuse you?" Harry dropped his head in shame as a dozen memories ran through his head, not daring to answer Sirius' question. However, his two guardians interpreted his silence correctly and he heard two collective sharp intakes of breath.

"Harry-" Remus started, but whatever he was about to say, Harry never knew as he quickly escaped the room.

He rushed into the first room he found, just wanting to put some distance between himself and the two marauders, but a few moments later, Sirius entered. Remus was obviously waiting in the kitchen. Sirius sat down on the floor beside Harry, pulling him into a comforting embrace. "I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly as he ran his hand through Harry's messy hair.

"What for?" Harry asked, his confused frown hidden against Sirius' chest.

"For what you've been through, for making you talk about it. For not getting you out of there sooner."

"None of that's your fault," Harry shook his head. "And I know that I need talk about. I just don't like admitting to it, you know?" Harry blew out a sigh. "I've kept it secret all these years… using Glamours and basic healing charms ever since first year. Those were some of the first spells I taught myself. It's hard to talk about."

"I know," Sirius said soothingly. "I know it's hard to talk about. I didn't exactly have a happy childhood either, though it was nowhere near the hell you've been living in. I promise, though, that talking will help you feel better."

"Maybe," Harry agreed noncommittally. He stayed in the embrace for a few more moments before pulling away to stifle a yawn. "I think I'll go back to sleep," he said, even though he hadn't been up for long at all. It wasn't just an excuse, though. He honestly did feel tired. Probably the potions, he decided. Standing back up, he turned briefly to Sirius and said, "I guess I'll, um, talk to you later," he said awkwardly, before making a quick escape.

When Harry re-entered his bedroom he was pleased to notice his trunk lying just under his bed. He pulled it out, careful to make little noise as he did so. He didn't want anyone to know what he was doing.

He searched through his belongings, looking for his trusty penknife. It took a couple of minutes to find it as it was lying almost at the bottom of the trunk, underneath layers of clothes and books. Harry lowered himself down on to the floor, leaning against his bed as he rolled his trousers up. His skin was clear, though he knew it was an illusion. Underneath his glamour charms he had plenty of scars. Harry sat for a few moments simply allowing thoughts and memories to float through his mind. Then, after checking that there was definitely no one going to follow him into his room, he laid the penknife on his leg and pulled it sharply across and enjoyed the feeling of relief that surged through his body.

.

Harry didn't awaken again until after noon the next day. _Must be those potions. They always make you tired_. He slipped into an old pair of jeans and a large, baggy shirt before heading downstairs. When he entered the kitchen, he was a little surprised to see a pink-haired woman sitting at the table. Sirius was sitting opposite her while Remus was up making tea. "Harry!" the pink-haired woman beamed enthusiastically.

"Hello," Harry replied awkwardly but politely, not wanting to be rude, slipping into the seat beside Sirius.

"Harry, this is my cousin, Tonks," Sirius introduced the woman. "She's going to be living here too, though she stays with friends so often you would never know it," he mock-glared at his cousin. Harry nodded politely at Tonks, but didn't say anything. The two cousins looked at him with a look of concern in their eyes, but neither said anything about his silence.

A half an hour later, Harry found himself alone with Sirius and Remus again. Tonks had only been stopping by for lunch, and an extremely awkward one at that.

"So, Harry," Sirius sat himself down beside Remus, so both were at the opposite side of the table and facing Harry. This made Harry feel a little intimidated, but he didn't say anything. Besides, Sirius wasn't looking too serious so Harry hoped he wasn't going to bring up the Dursleys again. "Dumbledore told me I should ask you about your time at school."

"Err… about _school_?" Harry frowned in confusion.

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius. "Dumbledore mentioned that you've had some… eventful years. He refused to explain what he meant and told us to ask you."

"Oh, right," Harry chuckled, happy they were asking him about something other than the Dursleys. "Are you sure you want to know?" the two men nodded. "Right. Well, in first year…" Harry launched into an explanation of his experienced at Hogwarts, describing the events surrounding the philosophers stone and then the enchanted diary that had possessed Ginny and forced Harry into entering the Chamber of Secrets. When he finished, both men sat in stunned silence.

"What was he thinking?" Sirius demanded eventually. "Trolls! In first year! And the Basilisk!"

"The stone can't have been that well protected," Remus frowned. "For three first years to work their way through those obstacles…"

"Moony!" Sirius exclaimed. "Who cares about the _stone_? Harry faced a bloody Basilisk! Under Dumbledore's supposed protection!"

"Hold on," Harry said defensively. "That wasn't Dumbledore's fault. Everyone was supposed to get sent home, and he couldn't exactly get rid of the Basilisk himself, could he? You had to be able to speak Parseltongue. Besides, I reckon Riddle set it up so I would end up down there with him."

"Merlin, Harry," Sirius sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I can see now why Snape decided to give you training at least."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, deciding not to tell him that it had originally taken a lot of pushing from Dumbledore for Snape to agree to the training. "It's a shame he can't teach me during the Summer, too. I've learned more from our training sessions than I have from three years of normal Hogwarts classes."

"We could train you during the summer, if you like," Remus suggested.

"Really?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Sure," Sirius replied. "Moony's already had a go at teaching, and I used to be an Auror. I may be out of practice, but I'm sure we could manage to teach you a few things. And this place is protected from the Ministry so they can't detect under-age magic."

"That sounds great!" Harry grinned. "When can we start?"

"Give it a few days," Remus told him, looking sympathetic. "Wait until you're completely healed."

The next few days passed uneventfully. Tonks dropped round more letting Harry get to know her, and she turned out to be very likeable. She was a Metamorphmagus, someone who is able change their appearance at will. "They're really rare," Tonks had explained. "Metamorhmagi are born, not made… sort of like Parselmouths, I guess."

Harry also got the 'official tour of #12 Grimmauld Place' by Sirius, and finally met 'the horrid house-elf' Kreacher. Harry had decided to give Kreacher a chance, though, instead of adopting his godfathers opinion of the elf, as Kreacher really hadn't done anything to warrant Harry's dislike. Sirius and Remus also kept trying to get Harry to talk about life at the Dursleys, but he brushed them off for the most part, or simply gave vague answers. He eventually snapped at them to please stop bugging him about the Dursleys, and surprisingly, they had. For now, anyway.

.

Eventually, his two guardians had decided that Harry was healed enough to begin teaching him magic.

"Right," Sirius looked slightly clueless as he stood beside Remus in the now-empty spare bedroom. "Ummm." He looked completely lost, and Harry found it hard not to laugh. "What has Snape been teaching you?"

"Well, in second year, we worked through _Duelling for Beginners_, and last year we worked through _101 Spells for Duelling_."

"Really?" Sirius looked impressed. "Last I heard, that book was for fifth years."

"It is," Harry shrugged. "But you're not the only one concerned about how much trouble seems to find me. Severus wanted me to stand half a chance next time I got in trouble, just in case my luck ran out."

"Right. Well, let's carry on with some fifth-year work for now, shall we?" Sirius suggested, glancing at Remus for approval. "Sixth-year starts on non-verbal magic, and although I know you can already do some of the simpler non-verbal spells, it's still a bit advanced for you, I think."

"Sure," Harry agreed, and they soon got to work.

Two hours later, it was an exhausted Harry who wondered out of the room. _Well, at least it was fun. _And_ I learned two new spells!_ Harry found himself heading towards the library, and was slightly surprised to find Kreacher there.

"Hullo, Kreacher," Harry greeted the elf, grabbing a book on Potions and dropping onto a seat at the table. _Wouldn't hurt to understand more about Severus's hobby, I suppose. Could come in useful, too, if I really plan to be an Auror._

"Master Potter," Kreacher greeted before turning back to continue polishing the Black portraits which were scattered around the library.

"How many times, Kreacher?" Harry asked, amused. "Just call me _Harry_. I prefer being a friend than a master, you know that."

"I is sorry, Master Potter, but Master Black says - "

"Don't you worry what _Master Black_ says, Kreacher," Harry told the elf firmly. "I'll tell him to lay off. I _hate_ being called Master Potter. Elves should be friends, not slaves."

"Yes, M – Harry," Kreacher smiled a little and turned back to the portraits again. The rest of Harry's reading time passed in comfortable silence.

.

"Traitor, you're supposed to take my side!" Sirius grinned, giving Harry a mock-shove after Harry had voiced his disapproval of Sirius's treatment of Kreacher.

"Give him a chance, Sirius," Harry said with a small sigh. "All you do is complain about him, and you're _never_ nice to him. How can you expect any respect from someone you treat like a piece of dirt?"

"Harry, he _is_ a piece of dirt. And he treated _me_ like a piece of dirt when I was a kid."

"Yes, because he had to listen to your mum," Harry replied patiently. "You know yourself that house-elves have to value the orders of the oldest family member above all others. Your mum didn't like you, and got Kreacher to treat you bad, but it wasn't his choice. He's actually a really decent elf when you get to know him."

"I'll let him call you Harry then," Sirius relented. "But don't expect me to be nice to him after the childhood he gave me."

"Fair enough," Harry shrugged. One day, he hoped, he would make the two get along. For now, he supposed it was enough that he and Kreacher got along. It was always good to have a house-elf on your side. He'd learned that with Dobby.

.

Harry woke up with a small yawn, hopping out of bed and stretching. He'd been at Grimmauld Place for almost two weeks now. Only a few more days until his birthday! He glanced at the clock while he was pulling on some clothes and groaned. He'd slept past noon again. _Must be those training sessions. I always seem to oversleep after those. _He figured that was a good thing, though. If he was tiring his body so much the training must be doing something, right? Dressed now, Harry picked up his wand and headed downstairs.

"Morning," Harry greeted,entering the kitchen and sitting himself down at the table beside Tonks. Remus was up preparing sandwiches, as he did most days, as his culinary skills were better than the rest of theirs. "Where's Sirius?"

"He had a couple of errands to run," Tonks said, blowing a bubble. Harry had noticed that she seemed addicted to gum. "He said he wouldn't be back 'til dinner," she continued after popping her bubble.

"Oh, okay," Harry replied. "Are you staying with us today?"

"Can't, I have to work. My boss wants me to help Kingsley train some new girl, seeing as Toni's taken the day off sick."

"Oh dear," Remus said, sitting a plate of sandwhiches on the table and sitting down next to Harry. "I do hope your boss knows what he's gotten himself into," he teased gently. "The last time you helped train a potential Auror, she ended with broken bones."

"Really?" Harry asked with a grin. With Tonk's clumsiness, he could quite believe it.

"It was an accident!" Tonks protested. "I stumbled and fell into her and she fell down the stairs. It could have happened to _anyone_!"

After a humorous lunch, which mainly revolved around hilarious stories about Tonks, Remus left saying he had some reading to do. Harry sat in the kitchen by himself for awhile, finishing the remaining sandwiches before heading off to the library, deciding a bit of extra reading sounded like a good idea. Looking through the shelves, he finally picked up a book titled _Tips with Wandless Magic_. He spent the next hour reading the book, but it was a slow read and he didn't really learn anything. _Focus completely on what you want… see the wand movements in your mind… try speaking the words aloud... _it didn't mention _anything_ he didn't already know. Irritated at having wasted his time on such a useless book, he stormed up to put it back and his eyes fell on another title. _Advanced Spells for the Dangerous Duellers. _The title sounded interesting at least, so he decided to give it a go. The book talked about advanced hexes and curses, ones Harry knew he didn't have a hope in hell of using any time soon. They required a lot of power, which at aged only almost 14, Harry simply didn't have. They were interesting, though, and well worth remembering for when he could use them. Right at the end of the book, he found an interesting chapter titled _The Unforgivables_.

Almost as soon as Harry finished the book, Kreacher Apparated into the room with a _crack!_ sound to let Harry know dinner was ready. Harry thanked the elf before sticking the book back and heading down into the kitchen, where Sirius, Remus and Tonks were all sitting.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius greeted, pulling out the chair beside him. Harry obediently dropped into the chair, rolling his eyes when Sirius ruffled his hair affectionately. "You know," Sirius said thoughtfully as Kreacher magic'ed the food onto everyone's plates, "I think Remus is rubbing off on you."

"You do?" Harry asked, his fork stopping halfway to his mouth.

"Kreacher tells me you've been in the library all day. It's very unlike you," Sirius smirked.

"So you talk to Kreacher now, do you?" Harry asked with a smirk of his own, finally bringing the food to his mouth. "And I can't help it if you have interesting books, can I?" No one batted an eye as a small clang reverberated round the room as Tonks dropped her fork, splashing gravy all over herself and Remus.

"Sorry!" she said hastily, using her wand to clean the gravy away.

"You know, Tonks," said Harry conversationally, eyeing the witch sitting opposite him. "I thought you had good fashion sense. _Yellow_ hair?"

"Hmm?" Tonks asked, picking up a spoon to see her reflection. "Oh. It's supposed to be blonde." She screwed up her eyes, her expression looking pained though Harry knew it wasn't, she was simply concentrating. "There, all better," she grinned at her reflection. Her hair was now a nice, shiny white blonde.

"Much better," Harry agreed with a grin.

After dinner, Harry went to the spare bedroom to practice some spells. He didn't have the official book list from Hogwarts yet to know for certain what he would learn in fourth year, but Sirius and Remus had discussed what they could remember from their own fourth years, which was good enough for Harry. He decided to practice the Summoning Charm first, as he'd never thought to practice it before. It had seemed rather pointless when he was wrapped up in learning defensive magic, but he could see now that it might be useful. Who knew when he would need to Summon something?

.

The next few days passed fairly quickly with Harry spending his time either in the library, practicing potential fourth-year work and training with Sirius and Remus. Sirius seemed to go away on a lot of errands, which started to pique Harry's curiosity. No one would tell him anything though, and Kreacher claimed he didn't know where Sirius kept going off to.

Harry woke up on his birthday with irritation coursing through him and his scar burning painfully. Voldemort was annoyed again_._ Harry let out a long sigh and relaxed back against his bed, deciding to try some breathing exercises while the pain in his scar faded away. _In, two, three four, out, two, three four… in, two, three, four, out, two, three, four…_ He carried on like that for a few minutes until the pain in his scar was no more than a mere annoyance before slipping into faded light blue jeans and a red t-shirt. He headed downstairs, humming 'Happy Birthday' to himself, wondering if Sirius and Remus would remember it was his birthday. He didn't care, really, life at the Dursleys had meant his birthday was Torture-day. When he reached the kitchen, he frowned to see the lights off. _That's unusual_. He murmured a spell to get some light back in the kitchen, and jumped back in surprise when a group of voices assaulted his hearing, shouting, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"


	3. Summer Fun

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 2

Harry had barely had a chance to recover from his surprise when he found his vision attacked as Hermione rushed forward to hug him, her bushy brown hair clouding his eyesight. "Er, good to see you too, Hermione," Harry grinned, patting her on the back. When Hermione finally let go, Ron stepped forward to clap Harry on the back.

"Happy birthday, mate," Ron grinned. It had only been a couple of weeks since Harry had last seen his best friend, but already he looked like he had grown a couple of inches.

It didn't take long before a full-blown party was underway. Hermione, all the Weasleys, and Severus had attended, plus, of course, Sirius, Remus and Tonks.

"You know," Harry said, as he led Ron and Hermione to the drawing room for more privacy, "I've never had a party before. This is amazing."

"Of course it is!" Ron grinned. "It's a _party_!"

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione scolded. Then she turned to Harry, her eyes sparkling lightly. "So how has it been, living with Sirius and Professor Lupin?"

"Call him Remus, Hermione, he's not a Professor anymore," Harry reminded her. "And, well, it's obviously better than the Dursleys. I guess it took a while to get used to things, I mean, even now, we're not completely used to it. Sirius, he doesn't talk about it, but I know Azkaban still affects him, and I don't really know how to act around them because they're so different from the Dursleys... but it's really good. Especially when Tonks is here, then it's just a mad house," Harry grinned as he remembered something Sirius had told him. "I've not seen one yet, but apparently their prank wars are hilarious, better than the twins."

"Impossible," Ron shook his head.

"But you're happy here?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron.

"Of course!" Harry exclaimed. "How could I not be? Those three are _brilliant_!"

"I was just checking," Hermione said gently. "I always thought you were happy with the Dursleys, and look how wrong I was about that."

"Yeah, but you've _met_ Sirius and Remus. And Tonks is just like a female version of Sirius."

"Alright, I get your point," Hermione said. Then, "Well, I'm glad you're happy," she said softly. "You deserve it."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry smiled, touched by how much she cared.

The trio of best friends stayed in the room for another half hour catching up with each other before Tonks came to find them.

"There you are!" Tonks exclaimed, grabbing Harry by the arm. "We wondered where you lot ran off to. You got a lucky escape. Sirius and the twins have been pranking each other, and they don't care who gets caught up in the middle of it! We never should have told those two that it was safe to do magic here!" She shook her head exasperatedly. "Anyway, come on, it's cake time!"

The cake, it turned out, was hand-made by none other than Mrs Weasley. It was a _gigantic_ golden snitch, with fourteen broomstick-shaped candles arranged neatly into it. Everyone (bar Snape, who obviously couldn't stick the thought of actually _singing_ to anyone, even Harry) sang Happy Birthday, before Harry blew out the fourteen candles. His wish was to always have his friends and family with him, no matter what. Oh, and maybe for Ron and Hermione to _finally_ go out and quit driving everyone insane with their constant bickering.

The day seemed to fly by with everyone having so much fun. The prank war between Sirius and the twins didn't stop at all until the twins left. The result was _everyone_ (well, aside from Snape, who had threatened the twins with a years detention if they tried anything funny on him) had differently coloured hair, the twins looked like girls (their pink hair had been grown to be even longer than Hermione's and their robes had been transfigured into dresses, something they couldn't reverse), all the girls had bunny ears popping out their heads, loud farting noises erupted whenever Sirius sat down, Harry had grown an extremely bushy and annoying tail and Ginny's hair was full of flowers she couldn't get rid of.

All too soon (or, as Harry's tired body complained, maybe _at last_) the party was over, and everyone was heading off. Ron and Hermione promised to visit again over the Summer as they left, as Hermione was staying with the Weasleys. A scowling Severus left right after them, not really saying much as Sirius was glaring at him (Sirius had promised Remus to act civil with Snape during the party, but he didn't agree to after the party). Tonks slipped away to her bedroom, saying she had to sleep after all the alcohol Sirius had forced on her, and Remus soon made a similar claim. Sirius looked like he, too, wanted to sleep, but didn't want to leave Harry up on his own.

"I'll just go to bed too, then," he offered, standing up from the couch. "I can see you're tired," he smirked. "And… well, I know I've already said it, but thanks. For everything. This is the best birthday I've ever had."

"Don't mention it," Sirius said, standing up and using the wall for balance.

"I've never seen you drunk before," Harry grinned as his Godfather wobbled all over the place.

"And you never will again. Don't ever let yourself get this drunk, Harry," Sirius warned, heading up the stairs. "I feel bloody _awful_."

.

The next day Harry didn't wake up until noon, which was rather unusual. He'd been getting into the habit of getting up anytime between 8 and 9, but he supposed the party had really tired him out. He dressed in jeans and one of the new t-shirts that Sirius had presented him with yesterday, declaring that it was about time Harry had clothes of his own rather than Dudley's cast-off's, before heading into the bathroom and splashing water in his face to wake himself up. He didn't expect any of the adults to be up any time soon as whenever his uncle Vernon had been drunk in the past you were lucky if he was up by dinnertime. Harry didn't really mind, though. The Library could keep him busy, and if he needed a break, he had plenty of spells he could practice.

Harry browsed the shelves for a few minutes before choosing a book on Animagi. It didn't explain how to become one, but it did talk about the theory and rules – ie; it was near impossible for an Animagus form to be a magical animal. Imagine if you could turn into a Werewolf or Dementor… that would be _bad_. However, there was one exception. Centuries ago, a wizard had managed to turn into a Phoenix. The only theory for this was that a wizard who was pure of heart could turn into a magical creature pure of heart, but at the same time, wouldn't that mean a Dark Wizard could turn into a Dark Creature? Like a Dementor? It had a pure heart of darkness. Harry's head was spinning by the time he had read halfway through the book so he put it back and found a different one. No wonder you were supposed to be an adult before attempting to become an Animagus, he thought. It was so damn _confusing_.

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon reading a huge History book. With Professor Binns, History was the most boring thing imaginable, but the book was written in such a way that it actually made it an entertaining read. It studied all the previous well-known Dark Lords, some of whom had been even more terrible than Voldemort; Wizarding Kings, which the Magical Community hadn't had in centuries now, since the Ministry of Magic had been established; and the different competitions/tournaments that had been largely popular in past generations.

At six, Harry headed down to the kitchen to cook himself some dinner. He knew Sirius was awake as he'd heard his godfather moving about his bedroom, but none of the adults had left their rooms. Harry guessed that Kreacher had brought them meals and painkillers during the day. And speak of the devil, there was a small _crack!_ as Kreacher appeared behind him.

"Ma – Harry Potter should be sitting," the elf said nervously. "Kreacher should be cooking."

"No worries, Kreacher," Harry assured the elf. "I like cooking, sometimes. Merlin knows I need a break from reading. Have the others eaten today?"

"Yes, Harry Potter sir, they has had lunch, Harry Potter sir, and Kreacher was coming to make dinner for them, sir".

"Alright," Harry said. "I'll make their dinner. Like I said, I need a break. How about you start cleaning up the drawing room just now? I was going to do it later, but I wouldn't mind the help."

"Is Harry Potter sure?" the elf still seemed reluctant to let Harry cook.

"Harry Potter is sure," Harry said firmly. "If you want, you can clean up the dishes afterwards."

"Alright, Harry Potter," Kreacher said, disappearing with a crack. Harry shook his head as he turned back to the cooking. It was a simple meal, just some chicken breast and potatoes. House-Elves were so strange. Always wanting to help, to work. You had to argue with the elves to let _you_ do the work sometimes.

After the meal, Harry headed into the drawing room. Kreacher had taken the meals to Sirius, Remus and Tonks and was currently washing up, the one thing Harry didn't like about cooking. How Kreacher could enjoy it was beyond him. Harry shrugged to himself as he started waving his wand around the room. There really wasn't much left to do; Kreacher had already made the room near-perfect. It was when he was taking a particularly nasty stain out of a chair that he noticed it. Something was moving around behind the table. Harry cautiously stepped towards it, wand held out, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a small black snake with gold rings going around its body. It's scales were sparkling in the light as they were made of a highly-reflective substance. He recognised it from one of the books that Hermione had encouraged him to read when she had found out he was a parselmouth. It was a Muztek, a purely magical and harmless snake that was known for its healing properties.

"Hello," Harry smiled at the little snake, slipping his wand into his pocket. "What are you doing here?"

"I was escaping the owl," the snake sounded unhappy. "I hid inside a man-bag and found myself in here."

"Oh." Harry wasn't quite sure what to say. "Do you have a name?"

"No," the snake shook it's head. "I do not know any other animals. My birth-giver was killed when I was born and I escaped on my own."

"I'm sorry," said Harry sympathetically, "I lost my mum when I was young, too." He paused thoughtfully. "You sound like a girl," he decided. "Let's call you Sally."

.

Next day when Harry entered the kitchen it was to see Sirius, Tonks and Remus all sitting at the table with mugs of coffee.

"Morning," Harry said to them brightly. "Feeling better?"

"Just tired," Tonks nodded with a yawn. "I'm never listening to you again, Sirius."

"Nor me," Remus agreed. "I haven't been that drunk since…" he trailed off, obviously trying to remember when he'd last been drunk. Harry smirked to himself. Remus wasn't the type of guy who regularly drank.

"What's that?" Sirius asked, motioning towards the black strip wrapped around Harry's wrist.

"My new friend," Harry said, peeling the snaky off his wrist. "Meet Sally. I found her in the drawing room yesterday. Poor girl's lost her family."

"Is that a Muztek?" Tonks was eyeing it warily. Harry sighed as he realised Tonks was one of the many witches who didn't like snakes.

"She wont hurt you," Harry told her, sitting the snake on the table. "She calls me 'Master Harry'. She's as bad as Kreacher, she won't do anything without permission".

"If you say so," Tonks still seemed unconvinced.

After lunch that day, Sirius took Harry into the usual empty bedroom for training. It had been decided that it was time to teach Harry muggle fighting as well as magic, and Sirius was best at the former. Remus would continue to teach Harry all the magical skills he could.

"So how much experience do you have in muggle fighting?" Sirius asked, motioning for Harry to sit beside him on the floor.

"Not as much as you, obviously," Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Dudley and his gang used to like fighting me, and Dudley was in some boxing club, so I picked a few things up from them, but I've never really tried to learn… more just what my instincts told me to do, I guess," he frowned.

"Well, it's more than any pureblood your age," Sirius said, frowning at the mention of Dudley's gang. "Better than I hoped for, even. I didn't expect you to have any." Sirius stopped, waving his wand and conjuring a few dummies. "We'll start out small, get the basic things drilled into you and build up from there. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. He hated having to learn the basics because they seemed so boring, but it was kind of hard to start advanced if you didn't understand the most simplest versions of defense, wasn't it?

.

Harry left the room feeling fairly pleased with himself. They'd managed to get the basics down in one hour, thanks to his experience with Dudley. He knew that it would take longer than an hour to learn anything else, though. Basic stances and moves were the only things he had experience with. Dudley had dropped out of boxing before he could reach advanced moves, so Harry had no idea what they would be like. Harry shrugged to himself, already looking forward to his next lesson with Sirius. For now, he had an hour to himself before he had a magical lesson with Remus.

The next week passed quickly. Sirius and Tonks started up a prank war that caused Harry and Remus to stay away from the two cousins as often as possible as being near them put you at risk of looking like a girl, having steam flying out your ears, having feathers for fingernails, being soaked from head to toe and many other undesirable attacks. Lucky for Harry, he only had to be near Sirius for their training, and Tonks was at work during that time.

The second week in August, Sirius and Remus took Harry out to Diagon Alley.

"We're floo-ing?" Harry asked, glancing warily at the fireplace.

"Yup," Sirius said brightly. "I take it you've done it before, then?"

"Yeah, and I ended up in Knockturn Alley," Harry muttered darkly.

"Knockturn Alley?" Sirius raised an eyebrow while Remus stepped into the fireplace.

"It was my first time using it," Harry explained. "I screwed up. Didn't say the name clear enough, or something. Anyway, yeah. I ended up in Borgin and Burkes. Lucky for me, Hagrid found me down there. It was creepy."

"How old were you?" Sirius asked, ushering Harry towards the fireplace.

"Twelve. It was the Summer before second year," Harry stopped talking and took a handful of floo powder, throwing it down into the fireplace he was standing in. "Diagon Alley!" he said, making sure his voice was loud and very, _very _clear. He wouldn't be landing in Knockturn Alley this time. At once the familiar green flames erupted and he was spinning past dozens of fireplaces, the speed of their passing making him dizzy.

Harry tumbled out of an old fireplace at the back of Flourish and Blotts, landing face-first on the floor, his glasses flying off his face and cracking the lens.

"Thanks," Harry said, accepting Remus' hand. "Never seem to land on my feet," he brushed down his robes, accepting his glasses back from Remus as he used a quick _reparo_ on them. Twenty seconds later Sirius appeared in the fireplace, managing to step out gracefully. Harry scowled at him.

Their first order of business was to visit Gringotts. Harry needed more money and Sirius wanted to see how the place had changed as he hadn't had a chance to visit the Wizard Bank since his escape from Azkaban.

"It's cleaner," Sirius remarked when they reached the bank.

"It used to have a lot of stone rather than marble," Remus explained to Harry as they walked towards the goblin Harry recognized to be Griphook. It was the goblin he'd met on his first ever visit to Gringotts.

After Gringotts, the trio headed off to buy the potions ingredients Harry would need that year. Sirius and Remus both tried to pay, but Harry brushed them off.

"I've been buying my own things ever since I stepped into the Wizarding World!"

"Yes, but you didn't have proper guardians," Sirius argued. "I know you're still adjusting to not having to be so independent, kiddo, but your guardians are supposed to provide for you until you're old enough to do it yourself."

"I'm old enough to pay for my own school supplies," Harry argued back, handing his own money over to the shopkeeper before one of his guardians could. "I know you just want to help and do your job right, but let me handle it, okay?"

In the end, it had to be settled with a deal. Remus and Sirius pay for half the supplies, Harry pay for the other half. _At least I still get to pay for some of my own things, then._ He was grateful they wanted to help, he really was, but he'd always been so independent in the Wizard World, he hadn't had any choice, living with the Dursleys. Old habits died hard.

"Dress robes?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "What do I need those for?"

"Yule Ball," Sirius said, earning a hard jab in the side by Remus' elbow. "Oops."

"Yule Ball?" Harry echoed, frowning. Where had he heard about that before? "I've read about that… it's to do with - "

"We'll talk about it later," said Remus in a firm voice, ending the conversation. "It's not something that ought to be talked about here," he said, sending a small glare towards Sirius.

The last shop they had to go to was the one they had arrived in, Flourish and Blotts. One of the shop assistants found all the school books for them, and Harry reluctantly agreed to let Sirius and Remus pay for them. Aside from the school books, Harry also found six other books he wanted to buy, ones that he paid for himself. They spread the newly bought items amongst them, trying to balance them all to use the Floo. Sirius went first this time, Harry following. Remus came last to find the items Harry had been carrying spread all over the floor as Harry had fallen again.

That night in bed Harry lay tossing and turning while Sally watched in concern. The room was boiling, even with Harry's pyjama top off and the blanket lying in a bundle on the floor. Harry's new school things were lying on top of the desk near the window, and the six books he'd bought were lying on the chest of drawers next to his bed. Three were to do with advanced spells, one was about Quidditch, one was to do with muggle-style fighting (the book was originally written for Aurors as most magical people weren't interested in such a subject) and the last was to do with Wizarding Laws, which Harry guessed he ought to learn. He already knew the justice system was different in the magical world than the muggle and he wanted to know what other differences there were. Eventually, at long last, Harry managed to fall into a fitful sleep, still sweating from the heat that only he could feel.

.

Harry was watching an old muggle. The man was balding, his hair almost pure white and he was easily in his late seventies or early eighties. He had a stiff leg from the war he'd taken part in years ago and had to lean heavily on his walking stick as he moved around. Harry watched in amusement as the muggle, Frank Bryce, noticed light coming from the old Riddle Manor of which he was the gardener.

"Lousy kids, can't give me any peace," Frank was scowling as he picked up a large, old-fashioned key and hobbled over to the manof. The manor was huge, perched on top of a hill that overlooked the rest of the village. It had an old rusty door and everything covered was in ivy.

Harry followed the muggle who was walking towards the occupied room with a painstakingly slow pace as his leg seemed to be causing him trouble. Frank stopped just outside the room where Harry's Master and servants were talking, so Harry slithered past the muggle, hissing at him as he did so.

"Ah, Nagini, you have returned. Did you find a nice meal?" Voldermort asked, hissing in Parseltongue.

"Indeed I did, Master," Nagini hissed back. "I also have some interesting information. The old muggle gardener noticed your presence, it seems. He's eavesdropping outside the door."

"Oh, is he?" Voldermorts eye's lit up with sick amusement. "Wormtail," he snapped.

"Y-yes, Master?" Wormtail, a middle-aged balding fat man cowered in fear.

"The muggle gardener is eavesdropping. I rather think I would enjoy his presence, invite him in."

"O-of c-course, Master," Wormtail stuttered, jumping towards the door. He didn't speak to Frank, simply ushered him in.

Frank limped into the room, surveying it darkly. The floor was wooden and damp, the curtains ripped and tacky. There were a few moth-eaten chairs littered about the room and an old fur rug in front of the fire. The fire itself was probably the only decent-looking thing in the room; it reached the roof of the room and had dark, red bricks with patterns etched into them.

"Frank Bryce, isn't it?" Voldermort asked in a cold voice. "Eavesdropping, are we? Learn anything interesting?"

"Yes!" Frank exclaimed firmly, obviously trying to hide his fear. "You're – you murdered a girl… you murdered her, and you were laughing about it – and, you said.. you're going to murder another! A boy, Harry Potter. Well, I don't know who he is, but – "

"But what, muggle?" Voldermort asked coolly.

"What sort of filthy name is that?" Frank asked, his voice quivering only a little. "Code, is it? I've got enough information to get the police on you, you know!"

"The police?" Voldermort laughed. "They would be dead before they could look me in the eye. If the old fool were to find you, however…" Voldermorts eyes held a dark gleam in them. "I think you know too much. We can't risk Potter's saviour finding out about any of this." Voldermort turned to his two servants; Wormtail and a younger man, late-twenties perhaps, who had straw-coloured hair and tacky robes. "Let us have some fun before we dispose of him. It has been far too long since we last did so," Voldermort turned his wand to Frank, who looked at the stick of wood blankly. "_Crucio_!"

.

Harry woke up with a start to find Sirius, Remus and Tonks all standing over him and Sally lying next to his face. Sirius looked like he'd been in the middle of trying to wake Harry up. Harry pulled away from the group and retched over the side of his bed, vaguely aware of someone rubbing his back soothingly. When he was finished emptying his stomach, he heard someone banish the vomit and sat back in bed, leaning against his pillow.

"Was it another scar dream?" Sirius asked, sitting himself down beside Harry and wrapping a comforting arm around him.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. It was his second scar dream. The first he'd had was two days before the end of third year. "It was... Merlin, it was horrible, worse than the first. I was... well, I saw it through Nagini's eyes. He was staying at some big manor, and the gardener noticed…" Harry stopped, pushing away the fear he could remember seeing in Frank's eyes. "When he went into the room…" Harry hesitated. "There were three of them. Voldermort, Wormtail," Harry spat the name, "and some other guy I didn't recognise. They were torturing him, and _I could feel it._ Then they killed him." Harry closed his eyes. He could still remember Frank lying on the floor, lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. The same flash of green light that had killed his parents.

"You were screaming in pain," Tonks said, her voice shaky. Her eyes were slightly red. "You felt the C-Cruciatus? I've never been under that, but I've heard it's bad…" Tonks seemed really upset about it.

"It _is_ bad," Sirius said darkly, tightening his grip on Harry. "Nothing a bloody fourteen year old should have to feel."

"Nothing _anyone_ should have to feel," Remus corrected. Remus and Sirius had both been held under that curse before, during the previous war. "I'll be right back," Remus said, sending a concerned glance towards Harry before leaving the room.

"How you feeling?" Sirius asked, refusing to let Harry go.

"Tired," Harry replied sleepily. "My scar still hurts a bit, but really I'm just tired."

"You don't still feel sick?"

Harry shook his head as Remus re-entered the room.

"Drink this," Remus told Harry, handing him a lilac-coloured potion. "It'll make sure the curse doesn't stay in your body. The after-effects can be horrible." Harry nodded gratefully and downed the potion in one. A few moments later, he felt his eyes drooping and everything turned black.

.

Harry didn't wake up until three o'clock the next afternoon. _Damn potions_. He dressed quickly and headed down to the kitchen where Sirius and Remus were eating sandwiches for lunch. Sally was sitting on the table beside them.

"Is master feeling better?" the little snake asked.

"I'm fine, Sally. It was just a bad dream," Harry smiled at Sally, sitting a few small pieces of bread in front of her to eat.

"Morning, kiddo," Sirius said, patting the chair beside him. Harry dropped into it, taking a sandwich off the plate on the table. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

"We let Dumbledore know. He wants to know if you have any more. Even at school, you're to go to his office if you have another," Remus told him.

"Alright," Harry agreed. "I hope I don't have any more, though," he added darkly. "Even without the Cruciatus it hurts like shi- I mean, hell."

"You're allowed to swear," Sirius grinned. "I said worse than 'shit' at your age."

"You didn't grow up with the Dursleys," Harry scowled. Sirius and Remus both lost their smiles at that, glancing at each other with concerned looks. "Sorry. Didn't meant to bring them up," Harry shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. "So," he said, trying to change the subject. "Dress robes! You said we'd talk about it later. It's later now."

"Yes," Remus said, sending a dirty look at Sirius. "Well, students aren't really supposed to know about it yet…"

"What do you know?" Sirius asked.

"It's to do with the TriWizard Tournament," Harry said slowly, trying to hold back his excitement in case he was wrong. "I read about it a week or so ago, in one of the history books we've got. It got discontinued a few hundred years ago because of the death toll. The book didn't really go into much detail."

"Well, you've got the gist of it," Remus said, glancing at Sirius. "The Ministry decided to bring it back. Hogwarts is hosting it this year."

"Really?" Harry didn't hide his excitement now. He hadn't been wrong! The legendary TriWizard Tournament was coming to Hogwarts!

"There are a lot more restrictions and rules in place," Sirius explained. "They're keeping it as safe as possible. Rather than ridiculously dangerous tasks, they're being made more to challenge how you think."

"There's an age limit," Remus added. "No-one under seventeen can enter."

"Oh, right." Harry shrugged, unconcerned. "There's going to be a lot of disappointed people at that."

"And you won't be one of them?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, obviously doubting Harry.

"No way," Harry said firmly. "I saved the philosophers stone in first year, fought a Basilisk in second, fought Dementors in third... a year off will be great. I get to watch someone else do the hard work for once!"

"Well, when you say it like that," Sirius sighed.

"So what schools are competing?" Harry asked, eager to find out all that he could.

"Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," Remus told him.

"Really?" Harry was a little surprised. "Well, I don't know much about Beauxbatons except it sounds French, but Durmstrang? Aren't they into their Dark Arts?"

"They're not dark, Harry," Remus shook his head. "As for Beauxbatons, you're right. It's an all-girl school in France."

"Huh," Harry shrugged. Then he grinned, feeling excitement bubbling back up in his stomach. "Wicked. That'll be fun to watch. What kind of tasks will there be?"

"Well, the first one's Dragons - " Sirius started, but Remus cut him off with a sharp glare.

"That's something students _definitely_ aren't allowed to know, Harry," Remus said in a firm tone. Then his face softened. "It's going to be good, though. You'll love it."

.

A few days later, Ron and Hermione came to visit. It would be the last time (and only the second time that Summer) Harry saw them before they returned to Hogwarts.

"How have you two been, then?" Harry asked, leading his two best friends into his bedroom.

"It's been great," Hermione beamed.

"A nightmare," Ron scowled. "The twins nicked some of Sirius' prank ideas, and all you can hear round the house is Hermione and Ginny giggling with each other."

"You can hear _plenty_ of other things round the house, Ronald," Hermione scolded the red-head. "How have you been, Harry? We haven't heard from you in ages!"

"Yeah, a couple of weeks is _ages_," Ron said, earning a smack from Hermione.

"Good," Harry grinned at his best friends antics. "Although I did have another scar dream a few nights ago."

"Oh, Harry! Were you alright?" Hermione asked concernedly, remembering what Harry had said about how the dreams affected him.

"Remus gave me a potion that helped," Harry assured her. "I actually _felt_ the Cruciatus Curse through it – I was alright, though!" he added, seeing Hermione's horror-struck face. "Honestly, the potion helped loads!"

"Isn't that the – the curse that causes pain?" Ron looked slightly pale.

"Yes. But like I said, _I'm fine_. No need to pull those faces at me." Just then, Sally slithered over to them, giving Harry a perfect chance to change the subject. He was regretting bringing the dream up now. "Ron, Hermione," Harry said, picking up the black snake. "Meet Sally."

.

Half an hour later the trio had moved to the kitchen as Ron's stomach had been rumbling. Harry was making them all some sandwiches, after an argument with Kreacher of course.

"So do you two know about the TriWizard Tournament?" Harry asked as he buttered bread.

"Yes," Hermione replied at once. "Mr. Weasley told us about it."

"Mum had a right go at him for that," Ron told him. "Kept going on and on about how students aren't mean to know yet."

"Like that'll stop everyone else telling their kids," Harry scoffed. "Remus wasn't too happy when Sirius spilled the beans, either."

"The age restriction sucks, though," Ron said, sounding depressed.

"Does it?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be entering anyway. It'll be good to get the year off."

"What do you mean?" Ron looked confused.

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione looked annoyed. "He fought You-Know-Who in first and second year, a Basilisk in second and those Dementors practically haunted him last year!"

"No need to bite my head off!" Ron exclaimed. "But yeah, alright. You've got a point. Harry deserves a break."

"More like Harry _needs_ a break," Harry corrected, setting the plate of sandwiches on the table and sitting down. "I'll go nuts if something happens again this year."

.

When Ron and Hermione went back to the Burrow, Harry retreated into the library to do some more reading. He hadn't been the library for a few days now, but it was still more often than usual. He'd been in the library more often this Summer than he had in his three years at Hogwarts put together! _God, I'm turning into Hermione_. He picked up the _Basic Dark Arts_ book he'd been reading. There was a crap-load of spells in there that ought to have never been made. _This is the kind of stuff Voldermort might use in a duel_. It would be good knowledge as Harry wasn't convinced Light spells would work against Voldemort if they ever came face-to-face again, and Harry had a feeling they would, but it wasn't the sort of spells he'd be proud to use. _If I didn't know about Sirius' family, I would think Sirius himself was Dark. Merlin, how can anyone use these spells?_ Harry gave up on the book halfway through. Good knowledge maybe, but he didn't really care. There was no way on Earth he was ever going to use Dark magic.


	4. Back to Hogwarts

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 3

The week quickly drew to a close leaving only one week left until the start of term. For the first time in his life, Harry wasn't eagerly counting down the days, hours and minutes to go. This year he was actually going to miss his home. It was a new feeling for him as he had always been desperate to leave the Dursleys, but his new-found family were nothing like his relatives and he didn't want to leave them when he had only just started getting used to having them. He had Sirius now, his godfather, a kid at heart (though he could be serious when he wanted to) and great for talking to. He had Remus, who was more mature and sensible than Sirius was. He gave great advice and always seemed to stay cheerful despite his monthly furry problem and the fact he seemed to look after Harry, Sirius and Tonks. And of course, there was Tonks. As he'd told Hermione, Tonks was simply a clumsy, female version of Sirius; a kid at heart and a good laugh. She was very knowledgeable about defense too, being an auror, and was always happy to answer any questions that Harry had.

He was also going to miss Kreacher, Sally (who he was leaving behind with Sirius and Remus for now so all the animals at Hogwarts didn't try to eat her) and the library. Sirius thought Harry was insane for this, but Harry disagreed. Yes, Kreacher could be foul, but if treated with respect he was a rather good friend to have. Harry already knew from experience that having a house elf on your side was always a good thing. As for the library, well, Harry could admit that he had been channelling Hermione this summer. He had finished all his homework, even making some of the essays twice as long as required and was enthusiastically drinking up all the knowledge that he could from the Black Library. To be fair, though, they weren't just ordinary books. They were advanced, some were dark which gave him insight into his enemies, and they were incredibly helpful as they were books that could be applied in real-life situations rather than simply in classrooms.

In fact, thanks to what he was going to miss, Harry almost dreaded going back to school. Whereas the last week of August had always dragged on for him at the Dursleys, time seemed to have sped up this year and before Harry knew it, it was the 31st of August. His last day at home with his newly-gained guardians.

Harry went to bed that night feeling both excited and upset. It did help, though, that Harry knew he could contact both his guardians any time he wanted. Sirius had given Harry one mirror of a set. Sirius had his own mirror, and Remus another. Three-way mirrors. Originally, they had been two-way mirrors; Sirius' and James' own invention for their detentions during their time at Hogwarts, but Sirius had modified the spell to include a third mirror for Remus.

Whilst the mirrors were undoubtedly useful and would help Harry considerably, it wouldn't be the same as actually _being_ with his guardians. It was all well and good for the likes of Ron and Hermione – or, even, most other students at Hogwarts – who'd had their families all their life. They were used to their families and probably embraced the chance to have time away and become more independent, but for Harry? Everything was new, and he wasn't ready to give it up just yet. He'd only start started getting into the hang of talking to them and being comfortable around them and knowing that he wasn't going to be punished just because he didn't clean the entire house in an impossible amount of hours. He figured he'd be okay, though. He had managed three years at Hogwarts with no guardians, he could manage another year with just Ron and Hermione by his side._  
_

Harry didn't get much sleep that night, as he dreamed of Sirius and Remus abandoning him and being told to go back to the Dursleys during the Christmas holidays. Feeling very unsettled and on edge, Harry resorted to the one thing he knew that would help. He quietly found his pen knife in his trunk and made neat little rows of new cuts on his legs. Feeling better, he got back into bed and slept soundly until morning.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Harry ate quietly, not joining in the conversation around him. He didn't feel very chatty.

When 10:45am arrived, Harry collected his trunk from his bedroom, dragging it down to the kitchen where Remus and Tonks, who had taken the morning off work, were waiting. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Sirius following him into the room.

"Do you know what Apparition is?" Sirius asked him.

"Yeah, Ron told me and Hermione about it before," Harry nodded. "He said it wasn't very fun."

"It's not a pleasant feeling," Sirius agreed. "It's not as bad when you get used to it though. And it's the fastest way of travelling, which beats having to leaving the house early! Give Moony your trunk to take and come here." Harry obliged, handing his trunk to Remus and letting Sirius wrap an arm round him.

"Keep a hold of my arm, Harry, and don't let go," Sirius instructed. Harry quickly obeyed and next thing he knew, he felt like he was being squeezed through a rubber tube, being pushed in from all directions and unable to breathe.

When they reached solid ground again, Sirius' grip on Harry was the only thing that kept him from falling over. By the time he'd regained his balance, Remus and Tonks had appeared with faint _pop_-ing sounds.

"You alright?" Sirius asked, gazing concernedly at Harry's green face.

"Fine," Harry nodded. "Ron was right, though. That was really unpleasant, but I guess it's something I'll need to get used to at some point."

"Yeah, next summer," Sirius agreed, nodding.

"What?" Harry frowned.

"We're going to teach you to Apparate next Summer," Remus explained, handing Harry his trunk. "Students usually learn in sixth year at Hogwarts, but guardians can teach them beforehand so long as they don't Apparate anywhere without supervision."

"And given the sort of trouble you get into, you never know when it might come in handy," Tonks finished with a grin. Harry was distracted by a shout from behind them, and Harry turned to see Hermione and the Weasleys coming towards them.

After being hugged by both Mrs Weasley and Tonks, and having his hair ruffled affectionately by Sirius and Remus, Harry followed his friends onto the train.

"You're being awfully quiet, Harry," Hermione said softly as she, Harry and Ron found a compartment to themselves. "Oh! I forgot. This is a new thing for you, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed.

"What are you two on about?" Ron asked, confused.

"Home-sickness," Hermione explained. "Harry's never had anyone to miss before. We missed our families in first year, but we learned how to deal with it. But Harry's never experienced it before."

"Oh," Ron said awkwardly. "Rotten luck, mate," he clapped Harry sympathetically on the shoulder. "You get used to it, though. It's kinda hard to dwell on when you're bombarded with school work... Plus, you can always owl them."

"Or use the mirror," Harry smiled. At Ron and Hermione's confused looks, he went on to explain about the three-way mirrors.

The three friends soon lapsed into a comfortable silence. They briefly talked about their Summer, but they'd done most of their catching up during their last visit to Grimmauld Place.

"Hey!" Ron suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence. "I just remembered. Prof– Remus resigned, didn't he? That position's cursed, I'm telling you! Wonder who'll be daft enough to take it this year."

"Mad-Eye," Harry told him.

"_The_ Mad-Eye?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Alastor Mad-Eye Moody," Harry nodded.

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed excitedly.

"Who's Mad-Eye?" asked Hermione.

"You mean there's something that Hermione doesn't know?" Harry teased.

"Oh, hush. Who is he?"

"He was the best auror of his time, that's who he is!" Ron explained excitedly. He began to explain everything he knew to Hermione and Harry tuned them out, already knowing the history of the auror.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

As it was beginning to grow dark outside, the compartment doors slid open and two figures ambled in. One was Ginny, a bright smile on her face and her flaming red hair pulled back into a ponytail. The second was a blonde girl with a dreamy expression on her face and a necklace of Butterbeer corks around her neck.

"Hello!" Ginny said brightly, sitting down next to Hermione, nudging her up to make space for the blonde. "Everyone, this is Luna. She's a Ravenclaw in my year. I just stopped Malfoy and his cronies from teasing her."

"Hello, Luna," Hermione smiled warmly at the newcomer.

"Hello," the blonde girl, Luna, smiled back. "Don't mind me, I just want to read. Ginny was adamant I come, though. She thinks I need new friends."

"Well, I didn't phrase it quite like that..." Ginny said awkwardly, her face flushing a faint pink. Luna just smiled and brought out a magazine called _The Quibbler_.

Harry kept to himself for the rest of the journey, reading one of his books on Advanced Jinxes. Hermione and Ginny had managed to pull Luna into conversation and Ron was looking decidedly uncomfortable with Luna's odd way of thinking, which Harry had to smile at. When the train started to pull up at Hogsmeade, Hermione quickly slipped into her robes, having completely lost track of time. For once, Harry was already wearing his.

When the train stopped and the group made their way to the horseless carriages, Harry couldn't help but stare at Luna who seemed to be petting the air.

"Er, what's she doing?" Ron asked, having also noticed Luna's strange behaviour.

"Saying hello to the Thestrals," Luna said, a dreamy look on her face again.

"But… there's nothing there!"

"Don't you ever read?" Hermione asked, climbing into the carriage. "You can only see a Thestral if you've seen death."

"That can't be right," Harry shook his head. "I've never seen a Thestral in my life, and I saw… I've seen death."

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. "You have to understand it, too," she explained, squeezing herself against the carriage wall to make more space. They'd certainly never squeezed five people into a carriage before. "You were too young to really comprehend what was happening."

"That makes sense, I suppose," Harry nodded as Luna climbed in and the carriage set off.

When they reached the castle Luna headed away to join a group of Ravenclaws who were just exiting their carriage.

"She's a strange girl," Ron commented as the four Gryffindors made their way to the Great Hall.

"No she isn't," Ginny said fiercely. "She's just really open-minded." She looked really angry at her brothers comment.

"I wasn't trying to insult her!" Ron shot back defensively.

"Really?" Ginny asked sarcastically. "Because every other person who's called her weird meant it as an insult. I'd rather not have my brother join that group," Ginny stormed over to sit beside the other third-years.

"What's up with her?" Ron scowled, leading Harry and Hermione further down the table to sit beside Neville.

"She's right," Hermione shrugged helplessly. "Almost everyone picks on Luna because she thinks a little differently. I think Ginny's her only friend, poor girl."

"We can befriend her," Harry said, sitting down between Ron and Neville. "I know what it's like to get picked on."

They spent the next few minutes discussing Luna Lovegood and how to go about encouraging a friendship with her, with occasional input from Neville who seemed to have met her before.

"Can't they hurry up?" Ron asked impatiently about the sorting when his stomach rumbled for the third time.

"It's not their fault you're always hungry," Harry grinned. However, fate had decided to be kind to the redhead and just then the huge double doors opened. Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Head made her way to the front of the hall where she placed a three-legged stool down and an old, worn hat on top of it. A group of tiny, nervous looking first years followed her, watching everything apprehensively. Harry himself was anticipating what would happen as he hadn't been present at a sorting since his first year, as he'd been late to Hogwarts in his second and held up by McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey in his third. A couple of first years jumped as the old hat moved, opening a cloth mouth and starting to sing.

_'A thousand years or more ago,_

_When I was newly sewn,_

_There lived four wizards of renown,_

_Whose names are still well known:_

_Bold Gryffindor from wild moor,_

_Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,_

_Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,_

_Shrewd Slytherin, from fen._

_They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_

_They hatched a daring plan_

_To educate young sorcerers_

_Thus Hogwarts School began._

_Now each of these four founders_

_Formed their own house, for each_

_Did value different virtues_

_In the ones they had to teach._

_By Gryffindor, the bravest were_

_Prized far beyond the rest;_

_For Ravenclaw, the cleverest_

_Would always be the best;_

_For Hufflepuff, hard workers were_

_Most worthy of admission;_

_And power-hungry Slytherin_

_Loved those of great ambition._

_While still alive they did divide_

_Their favourites from the throng,_

_Yet how to pick the worthy ones_

_When they were dead and gone?_

_'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,_

_He whipped me off his head_

_The founders put some brains in me_

_So I could choose instead!_

_Now slip me snug about your ears,_

_I've never yet been wrong,_

_I'll have a look inside your mind_

_And tell where you belong!'_

Harry joined in the clapping that followed the song.

"So it sings a new one every year," he mused aloud.

"Duh," Ron replied. "What else is the hat going to do all year, sat up in Dumbledore's office?"

"It must repeat them at some point, though," said Hermione. "I mean, there really is only so many things to say about the Houses."

"I - " But whatever Ron was about to say got cut off by McGonagall calling out first year names off a list in her hand. The sorting had begun.

Ron fidgeted the whole time, earning a disapproving scowl from Hermione. When the final first year was sorted into Hufflepuff and the food appeared, Harry couldn't hold back a sigh of relief. Rons fidgeting had really been starting to annoy him.

"Is that all you can ever think about?" Harry shook his head exasperatedly as he piled potatoes and carrots onto his plate.

"Of course not!" Ron looked offended. He scooped some mince into his mouth. "You have to admit, though, food is important."

Rons comment started off another argument between the red-head and Hermione, so Harry opted to eat in silence, occasionally adding input to the several conversations going on around him. He was glad when Dumbledore finally stood up and began to speak, giving his usual welcome speech and explaining the TriWizard Tournament to the school. Harry chuckled at the disappointed mutterings that erupted when Dumbledore explained the age restriction. Obviously many of them had hoped to gain the 1,000 Galleon prize for themselves.

"Harry?" a voice cut across his thoughts. Harry blinked and looked up at Hermione.

"Oh," he stood up, noticing that everyone was leaving. "Sorry," he smiled. "Zoned out."

"We noticed," Ron clapped him on the back. "McGonagall shot a right nasty look at you when she noticed."

"I'll try and avoid her for a bit, then," Harry said with a wince. "Oh, hey, did he say anything about Moody not being here?"

"He's not arriving 'til tomorrow," Ron explained. "He got held up with something. Dumbledore told us right after explaining all about the tournament to everyone."

"When I zoned out," Harry shook his head with a sigh. "Do me a favour and hit me if I zone out while Dumbledore's speaking again."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry woke up at five-thirty am the next morning, grumbling as he sat up, unable to go back to sleep. _It's because I'm not used to going to sleep so early. Sirius got me used to staying up 'til four in the morning, my body doesn't need sleep now._ Harry pulled on his clothes with a sigh, preparing himself for a boring hour-and-a-half as breakfast didn't start until seven.

Harry spent the first half hour skimming over some of his books, making sure he knew most of the details from the first few chapters of each one. He soon gave up, though. He'd read them plenty of times at Grimmauld Place and knew them nearly by heart, and it was extremely boring trying to re-read them. _Great, so what do I do now?_ He got up with a small scowl and dumped his books on his bed, and then smiled slightly when the Marauders Map caught his eye.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry whispered, tapping the map with his wand. Not many people were up and about yet. He could see the ghosts roaming the castle, Mrs Norris prowling around on the third floor, Dumbledore was pacing his study… a few other students were sitting in their common rooms, having woke up as early as Harry. Harry grinned when he noticed _Severus Snape_ sitting in his office down in the dungeons.

"Time to pay Severus a visit," Harry nodded to himself, pocketing his wand.

It took him barely ten minutes to get from the top of Gryffindor tower to the bottom level of the dungeons. Glancing back at the map, Harry was pleased to note Snape was still sitting at his desk, probably going over lesson plans. Harry rolled up the map, tucking it into his pocket but not bothering to wipe it since Snape knew all about the map now, and rapped the door. A few moments later he heard a surprised 'Come in'.

"What are you doing up?" Snape frowned when Harry entered and closed the door.

"I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep," Harry shrugged, dropping into a chair in front of Snape's desk. "I blame Sirius. He's got me used to living on little sleep."

"Of course that fool would have no respect for the benefits of a good sleep routine," Severus said with a scowl, leaning back over the parchment he was writing on. The pair sat in silence, the only noises being the fire and the scratching of quill on paper. Finally, Severus finished whatever he was writing and sat back in his chair, stretching slightly.

"How has your training been?" Snape asked, breaking the silence.

"Good," Harry smiled. "Remus has me working on OWL level spells and Sirius has been training me in muggle combat, not that I'm much good at it. I'm too weak to do any real damage," Harry said disappointedly.

"You'll get stronger," Snape assured him. "Your body can't develop muscle proficiently until you're sixteen or seventeen."

"Doesn't matter too much, I guess," Harry said, gazing at the fire. "If I learn the moves just now, I can worry about the strength later. For now, why should I really need anything more than magic?"

"Constant vigilance," Snape remarked. Noticing Harry's confused face, he explained, "It is Alastor's favourite phrase. You'll hear it a lot in your Defence against the Dark Arts class."

At seven o'clock, Harry left Snape's office and headed towards the Great Hall. After the quick catch-up on Harry's training (Severus was continuing Harry's training during the school year and had to know what he had covered over the holidays) they had moved on to discuss the TriWizard Tournament (or rather, Harry had asked questions which Severus refused to answer) and Potions (Severus telling Harry in a firm voice that he hoped he had produced good quality homework with all his free time over the Summer).

Harry frowned as he entered the hall. He'd never seen it so empty before. Only two students were there and no teachers had arrived at all. However, just as he had dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, Dumbledore arrived, sitting down neatly at the Head table. The Headmaster smiled at each of the three students currently sitting, which each student obligingly returned. Harry took his time eating his breakfast, and by the time he had finished, the hall was half-full al though Ron and Hermione were yet to show.

Just as he was wondering whether to go rouse his two friends, they appeared in the hall, Ginny following them. Harry waved them over and Ron sat beside him while Ginny and Hermione sat opposite them.

"How long have you been up?" Hermione asked, motioning towards his empty plate.

"A while," Harry told her. "I couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to give Severus a visit since I didn't really speak to him over the summer." He grinned at the look of horror on Ron's face. the red-head still wasn't especially keen on the Potions master, despite Snape and Harry being on friendly terms since Christmas in second year.

"You're mental," Ron shook his head, piling food onto his plate.

"Just because you hate Snape doesn't mean others can't like him," Ginny glared at her older brother.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you, Gin," Harry grinned at the younger Weasley. "Hermione here's been telling Ron that for months and he still won't listen."

"Yes, but Hermione here can't produce a Bat Bogey Hex, can she?" Ginny asked, grinning mischievously as Ron paled considerably.

The siblings continued their bickering with each other until McGonagall came round with everyone's timetables.

Harry and Ron groaned simultaneously when they received their timetables.

"Divination first thing," Ginny read Rons upside down. She frowned. "I took Divination this year. Lilian and Gina said it was a good subject."

"It's stupid," Ron grumbled while Harry snorted.

"She predicts my death every lesson," Harry explained to Ginny as he looked over the rest of his timetable. "She loves predicting horrible, depressing futures for everyone," he continued, nodding in satisfaction. Defence on Tuesdays and Thursdays, brilliant. He had only had one class a week in his previous years.

"She made real predictions though!" Lavender Brown, Trelawney's biggest fan, joined their conversation. "In our first ever class, she knew about Neville's teacup. She knew Hermione would drop the subject at Easter, and she knew about Binky."

"And Wormtail," Harry muttered under his breath, catching the attention of the two Weasleys and Hermione. "Never mind," Harry sighed. "We'll let you make your own mind up, Gin, but she'd really an old fraud."

"Wonder what it'll be this year," Ron rolled his eyes as he and Harry made their way to the North Tower after breakfast.

"All I know is we're continuing crystal ball gazing," Harry told him. "Lavender and Parvati were mailing Trelawney over the Summer, I overheard them talking in the Common Room last night."

"I really do worry about those two sometimes," Ron said, shaking his head. The two continued complaining about Trelawney and all things to do with Divination until they reached the step ladder that led into the classroom.

"After you," Ron grinned, mimicking his actions of the previous year. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron before climbing up the ladder, relieved to see they were neither the first nor the last students to arrive.

"Hasn't changed a bit," Ron commented, looking round the room with a faint look of disgust on his face.

"I dunno," Harry said, leading the two to a round table at the back. "I think she's got more scented candles in here. It's even harder to stay awake than usual." Ron grinned at him, but they didn't dare say any more whilst in the same room as their teacher. Instead, they waited impatiently for everyone else to arrive. When they finally did, Trelawney closed over the trap door and stood at the front of the class, beaming at them.

"Welcome back, my children. My inner eye has forewarned me that if I dawdle with short lectures we will run short on time, so we'll skip straight to the work, shall we?" Trelawney's voice was the same as always; soft, misty, and most of all: annoying. "Pair up and collect a Crystal Ball. No-one had much luck last year, but I have high hopes for you all this year. Remember, try to see through the fog."

"Try to see through the fog," Ron mimicked with a scowl, collecting a crystal ball and dropping it on the table. "I'm starting to think about doing a Hermione," he muttered in dark tones. Harry nodded his agreement as he watched the swirling mist inside the ball. He certainly wouldn't mind dropping the class.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry jumped when the two Weasley twins bounced into the seats opposite him, Hermione and Ron. Lee Jordan quickly joined the two pranksters, and Harry was a little unnerved at the grins all three were wearing. Fortunately, for once, it apparently had nothing to do with pranks.

"Moody's brilliant!" Fred and George exclaimed together.

"The best!" Lee Jordan agreed, nodding his head dramatically.

"Really knows his stuff!" came Fred.

"Almost better than Lupin!" George agreed.

"_Better_ than Lupin!" Lee corrected.

"He must be good then," Ron smirked. "Remus is the best I know of. When have we got Defence?" he asked, reaching down for his bag.

"After lunch tomorrow," Harry said. "Last on Thursday, too."

"Cool," Ron grinned as the food appeared in front of them. "I can't wait!"

Harry was looking forward to Defence as well, which unfortunately resulted in that evening wearing on and on and on. Lucky he had something to keep him busy though; he already had Potions homework. Snape certainly wasn't going easy on them just because it was the first week back. When he finally went to bed, he fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming of Quidditch matches and duels.

Thankfully, Harry woke up at half six the next morning rather than half five. It was still earlier than his fellow fourth-years, but he didn't mind too much. He got dressed, grabbed his things and headed down to the Great Hall on his own, arriving ten minutes before breakfast was due to start. To keep himself occupied, he looked over his Defence book again. He had it practically memorised already, but he wanted to be completely prepared for whatever they did.

The morning seemed to drag on that day but finally, at long last, Harry and his fellow fourth-year Gryffindors made their way to the Defence classroom. Harry sat at the front with Ron while Hermione and Neville sat at the table behind them. The class filled up quickly. Obviously, everyone was looking forward to today's lesson. By the time Moody arrived, five minutes late, the class were shifting restlessly.

"Wands and books away," Moody growled, stepping up to the front of the class. "We're going over Unforgivable's today. Discussion and demonstrations only. Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Professor," said Hermione, who had stuck her hand up. "Aren't we supposed to learn about the Unforgivable Curses in sixth year?"

"I talked Dumbledore into letting me teach you early. I've got one year to teach you lot, and I plan to do it the best I can."

"So, first thing's first. Can anyone tell me what happens if you use an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human?"

"You'll get a lifetime sentence in Azkaban," Hermione said confidently.

"Five points to Gryffindor," Moody nodded. "One curse controls the mind, one causes agony and the other causes death. It'd be easier if those curses were never invented at all, but obviously we need some way to deal with them. They used to be punishable by death. Unfortunately, that law was removed nearly a century ago. So, who can tell me the name of the mind-controlling curse? Miss Granger again?"

"Imperious Curse," she said, slightly breathlessly.

"Right you are," Moody nodded. He pulled a spider out of a jar Harry hadn't noticed before, pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio". The spider instantly jumped out his hand and started somersaulting across the desk, but that wasn't the thing that surprised Harry, oh no. He'd read all about the Unforgivable Curses, the effects wouldn't surprise him. What didsurprise him was the soft black glow he could see surrounding the spider, a glow he recognised from one of the books in the Black Library. A glow that, if he wasn't mistaken, was a magical aura.

"Complete control," Moody's voice brought Harry back to the present, and he noticed that the spider was now gone. "Of course, the curse can be fought. I'll be teaching you to do that soon. Now, however… Who can tell me which curse causes unbearable agony? Ah, Mr Longbottom?" Harry looked round at Neville in surprise.

"The Cruciatus," Neville said nervously.

"Yes, I thought you'd know about that one," Moody gave Neville a strange look, pulling a second spider out of his jar.

"Crucio!" Moody pointed his wand at the spider which instantly started twitching as though in pain. Harry could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, could feel the faint beginnings of a headache… then the curse stopped, and he felt normal again. "Nasty curse, very unpleasant," Moody said, chucking the spider away. "Sometimes, when tortured for long enough," Moody's magical, electric-blue eye swivelled to Neville for a moment, "the curse can drive you to insanity." Moody reached in the jar and pulled out a third – and final – spider, using a freezing charm to keep it in place on the middle of his desk. "So, who can tell me the final curse?" Moody's eye swivelled to Harry, and he had the uncomfortable impression that Moody wanted him to answer. He sighed a little before saying, "Avada Kedavra".

"The killing curse," Moody said softly. He pointed his wand at the final spider and, with a quick mutter of the spell, a green light shot towards it and it dropped down dead. "The only thing that can block the curse is a solid, sturdy object. That or dodge it, run away as fast as you can. No magical shield can block it." Moody looked at each student one by one. "For homework read up on the curses. Knowledge is the key. The more you know about something, the better. Class dismissed."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Later that night Harry escaped to his dormitory, leaving his friends down in the common room. He placed a few quick silencing spells on the room before pulling out his three-way mirror.

"Sirius Black," Harry said in a clear voice, waiting for his godfather to show. After nearly a minute of waiting, Sirius appeared with Remus beside him.

"Harry!" his godfather beamed at him. "How's school?"

"Oh, you know," Harry waved his hand around vaguely. "Snape refuses to go easy, Trelawney expects me to die this week, Fred and George already have a billion prank ideas…"

"So you're settling in nicely, then?" Remus asked, gazing at Harry.

"Pretty much," Harry nodded. "I'll be re-starting my training with Severis soon, too."

"Which is great news," Sirius said, glancing at Remus, "but I get the feeling you had something more specific you wanted to talk about."

"That obvious, am I?" Harry grinned. "Can't just want a nice conversation with the two of you? Oh, how's Tonks?"

"She's fine," Remus told him. "So what did you want to talk about, pup?"

"Well," Harry bit his lip. "In Defence today, Moody was going over the Unforgivable's and he was demonstrating on them on some spiders… anyway, when he cast the curses, I could see... well, an aura. I could feel it, too. The aura was pure black, completely dark, and I could feel a headache coming on, though it disappeared as soon as he stopped the curse."

"You're sure? You definitely saw an aura?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Harry said firmly. "That's what I wanted to check – how many people can see auras – can _feel_ magic?"

"Not many," Remus shook his head. "Though I guess we should have anticipated this," he added, glancing at Sirius. "This sort of skill is hereditary, and your mother had the same ability."

"She did?" Harry asked, perking up. He was always eager to learn new things about his parents.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "Came in pretty handy sometimes. She could always tell when an object was cursed. She saved our lives plenty of times."

"Wicked!"


	5. Tournament Shock

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 3

"What took you?" Ron asked when Harry finally descended the stairs to arrive back in the common room.

"I was just catching up with Padfoot and Moony," Harry brushed him off with a small shrug, sitting beside him and Hermione at the table. "Damn Snape and his essays!" Harry cursed, pulling the appropriate equipment out of his bag which he'd left before talking to his guardians.

"I thought you had already finished that," Hermione gave Harry a disapproving glance.

"Almost," Harry said distractedly, looking something up in his potions book. "Well, I actually thought I had… but I realized this morning I missed a part out."

When Harry went to bed that night, he couldn't stop thinking about his conversation on the three-way mirror. _It's going to get stronger… I'll be able to feel magical energy, know if there's a trap… feel cursed objects_. It would be a useful gift, but painful, too, if he didn't learn to control it. _Don't have to worry about that for a year or two yet, thank god. It should be easily manageable right now, if my mum's experience is anything to go by…_ Harry drifted off to sleep, his dreams full of his parents.

The next week passed by pretty quickly. Harry only had Care of Magical Creatures on a Wednesday; a double period right before lunch. Hagrid had found a new creature for them, 'Blast-Ended Skrewts'. After that class, Hermione had been adamant that the _things _(she refused to call them 'Blast-Ended Skrewts' for the moment, though she wouldn't say why) were a cross-breed. The Thursday Defence class was a continuation of Tuesdays, exploring the three Unforgivable curses in more depth; how much power was behind them, techniques you could use to fight the Imperious and what conjured objects could safely block the killing curse. Herbology had them moving onto dealing with a more dangerous version of _Devils Snare _(an extremely poisonous one that could only be fought off with fire – to basically burn it - rather than sunlight) and in Transfiguration they were attempting to turn baby mice into adult mice.

When Saturday arrived, Harry was once again up before all his friends and took advantage of this to get in some private Quidditch practice – Quidditch was cancelled this year for the Tournament, but he'd be damned if he let that fact stop him from flying this year. However, when he reached the pitch he was surprised to find it already occupied with two people; Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain and Seeker and Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker whom Harry had befriended in his third year.

"Harry!" Cho had noticed him and was grinning, waving him over.

"Hey guys," Harry ambled over to them, his Firebolt slung over his shoulder.

"Sucks about the Quidditch, doesn't it?" Cho asked sadly.

"Well, yeah," Harry nodded slightly. "But if what I've heard is true, it'll be worth it."

"The Tournament?" Cedric asked. Harry nodded. "Cool, I was just telling Cho that I was thinking about entering it."

"And I'm telling him not to be stupid, it'll be dangerous!" Cho glared at her boyfriend (they had hooked up at the end of third year, if the rumours were anything to go by).

"Chill, Cho," Harry patted the Ravenclaw on the shoulder and grinned. "Nothing can be too dangerous with Dumbledore around. They put up a _lot_ of safety restrictions this year."

"And how do you know that?" Cho narrowed her eyes at him with a sceptical look on her face.

"Tonks," Harry said, earning a funny look from his two fellow Quidditch players. _Well, Tonks _is_ an unusual surname_. "She's like my Aunt," Harry explained. "She's an Auror and she got to help with organising some of the Tournament – I've overheard her talking to Sirius and Remus before."

"Okay," Cho nodded with a smile. She still held a tiny hint of doubt in her voice but was obviously prepared to trust Harry's statement nonetheless.

"How is Professor Lupin, by the way?" Cedric asked, picking up on the name.

"Bored, I think," Harry shrugged helplessly. "He hasn't found another proper job yet, so he's really just stuck in the house or doing favours for people."

"Poor guy," Cho said sympathetically. "Why are people so racist towards Werewolves?" No-one had an answer for this, and the three lapsed into silence, shifting restlessly from foot to foot.

"So…" Harry said after nearly five minutes of said silence. "How about we get the practice Snitch and have a race?"

The three got so wrapped up in their game that they completely lost track of time and, before they knew it, they had missed breakfast and it was time for lunch. They would have missed this too if a worried Ron and Hermione hadn't stumbled onto the pitch, looking for Harry.

"We should do that again sometime," Cho grinned as she and Cedric headed towards a path Harry rarely used.

"Definitely," he agreed, grinning back before following Ron and Hermione to the castle, cutting across the lawn rather than using one of the four paths that led to the pitch.

"You could have warned us, you know," Ron scowled. "We didn't know what had happened to you!"

"Sorry," Harry said sincerely. "I woke up early and wanted to play some Quidditch. I didn't expect to find Cho and Cedric there."

"Since when are you friendly with Diggory, anyway?" Ron asked as the three trudged onwards.

"Since today," Harry answered. "He hooked up with Cho, remember? I can hardly be her friend and not hang around with Cedric."

"_And_ now you're on first-name terms with the guy?" Ron scowled.

"What of it?" Harry glanced at the red-head.

"He's the Hufflepuff Seeker! He bet us last year – he's the enemy!"

"It's just a game, Ron," Harry brushed him off, slightly irritated. "And he's not the enemy anymore. This is his last year at Hogwarts, and Quidditch is cancelled, remember? Besides, you don't seem fussed with me being friends with _Cho_".

"She hasn't beaten us in a game," Ron retorted firmly.

"Not _yet_, she hasn't," Harry corrected.

After lunch, most of the day was spent with Harry and Ron playing each other at chess and exploding snap whilst Hermione read; apart from Potions, none of them had much homework yet. All in all, aside from the occasional bickering that broke out between Ron and Hermione, it was a fairly relaxing day.

On Sunday, however, Harry was determined to get back into the swing of his old habits – which included a half hour run round the school grounds at seven o'clock. Sometime he would spend as long as two hours running, but having done little exercise during the Summer he felt it would be better to start off small. Next week, to go along with his 'morning jog', he would also be re-starting his training with Snape at 8pm in the Room of Requirements.

After his jog Harry had a shower before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast where he was surprised to find Hedwig waiting for him in the Great Hall. He hurried over to join his owl and friends and frowned slightly at the package.

"Thanks, girl," Harry stroked Hedwig and handed her a piece of bacon. She nipped his ear affectionately before taking off, leaving Harry to open the package. He did so, grinning at the book that was inside along with a piece of parchment.

_Moony found this in the library, we figured you'd miss it. _

_Dogfather and the Howler _

"Dogfather and the Howler?" Ron grinned. "Nice names. Who came up with them?"

"Me," Harry sat down properly and flicked through the book, _One million duelling spells – OWL Level_. It was a book Tonks had bought him after seeing his enjoyment for learning new spells. "I tease them with it a lot".

"What do they call you?" Ron sounded curious.

"Frogeyes," Harry scowled. Just then, Hermione glanced at the title of the book.

"OWL level?" she questioned.

"All thanks to my training," Harry grinned.

"Moony?" one of the Weasley twins – George – had just appeared behind Harry.

"As in _the_ Moony, the Marauder?" Fred joined his twin. Both were gaping at Harry.

"Yes," Harry grinned at them. _I forgot they didn't know. We never did get round to explaining that to them, did we? _

"You didn't know?" Ron snickered at the two twins as he voiced Harry's thought.

"That young Harry here knows Moony?" Fred asked.

"Of course not!" George sounded affronted.

"Who is he?" both twins asked together.

"Should I tell them?" Harry asked, grinning at Ron and Hermione

"I think you should," Hermione was eyeing the twins cautiously. "They won't leave you alone until you do".

"Good point," Harry winced, all too aware of the lengths the infamous pranksters would go to to find out what they wanted to know. "Okay," Harry pulled the Marauders Map, which he rarely went anywhere without anymore, out his pocket. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, waiting for the names to appear on the list. "Fred, George. I give you the names of the Marauders," Harry grinned, pointing his wand to 'Prongs'. "James Potter," he moved his wand to 'Padfoot' – "Sirius Orion Black," he moved his wand to 'Moony' – "And Remus John Lupin"

"Who's Wormtail?" George asked, pointing to the name curiously. Harry's expression darkened considerably, causing the twins to look at him in concern.

"Peter Pettigrew," Harry said in a voice so low it was nearly a growl. Understanding flashed briefly over the Weasley twins' faces. "You know," Harry added thoughtfully, "I wonder if I can get Sirius to remove Wormtail's name – he doesn't deserve to be on here."

"Right you are, Harry!" the twins chorused, clapping him on the back.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"When I call your name, come up to the front and we'll see how you fair against the curse," Moody was saying. It was Tuesday and Harry was in his Defence against the Dark Arts class. Moody had just spent fifteen minutes lecturing them on how to fight off the curse, telling them not to worry if they didn't manage it as many adults, never mind fourteen-year-olds, struggled to fight it the first dozen times.

Harry watched in amusement as his fellow fourth-year Gryffindors went up one by one and started singing, jumping around the desks and doing gymnastics as the curse was placed on them. He wasn't at all surprised when Hermione managed to throw the curse off – in fact, he would have been more surprised if she _hadn't_. He _was_ surprised, however, when Neville Longbottom managed to throw it off. The nervous boy had received a round of applause for his accomplishment… and, crap, now it was Harry's turn.

"Harry Potter," Moody called, and Harry stepped nervously up to the front. "Ready, Potter?" Harry licked his lips and nodded. "_Imperio!_" Instantly, a strange sensation came over Harry's body. He had a faint headache from the dark magic, but he was able to ignore it… the sensation of the spell, however, was harder to ignore. He felt detached from his body, like he was floating in a warm, fluffy cloud. Few thoughts seem to go through his mind; it was almost empty… and strangely disconcerting. _Do a forward flip_. The command rang through his mind, echoing in the emptiness leaving Harry thoroughly confused and faintly irritated. _Now why would I do that?_ A few seconds later, it came again. _Do a forward flip! Do a forward flip, now_! Again, Harry was confused by the command and irritated by the echoing. _I don't want to!_ Harry forced his own thoughts to block out the strange command and felt the strange sensation fade away, leaving him standing in the middle of class feeling slightly more tired than before but otherwise normal.

"Well done, Mr Potter!" Moody said gruffly.

"Er, thanks," Harry nodded, hurrying over to wait beside Hermione where they waited patiently for the remaining students to be placed under the curse.

"I really hope he doesn't get into trouble for that," Hermione said as they left the class.

"Come on, Hermione!" Ron said. "It's Mad-Eye Moody; one of the best Aurors _ever_. I'm pretty damn certain he knows what it's safe to and not to do."

"Ron's right, Hermione," Harry agreed. "He'll have gotten permission for it. The 'best Auror in a century' isn't going to be stupid enough to do anything illegal right under Dumbledore's nose."

"I suppose you're right," Hermione admitted as she let out a small sigh. "Besides, it _is_ a good thing – now we know what it's like. Imagine if we didn't, and someone cast the curse on us…"

"You'd still shrug it off like it was nothing," Ron grinned.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione went to lunch that day, Harry was surprised to see Luna Lovegood sitting at the table with Ginny.

"Er, is she allowed to be here?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "The house tables are so you have somewhere to sit – it was always thought that you would rather eat with your own housemates, but if you have friends in other houses it's perfectly acceptable to sit with them."

"How come people don't do it more often?" Ron frowned, plopping himself down.

"Not many people know," Hermione shrugged. "Besides, usually they _are_ happy sitting with their own house – most people make their friends inside their houses."

"Apart from Luna," Ron glanced at the blonde Ravenclaw. "Well, as long as she doesn't start saying funny stuff about the food…."

"She won't," Ginny scowled at Ron for a moment before turning to Harry and Hermione. "How was Moody?" she asked them.

"He was good, I guess," Harry grinned. "The Imperius Curse feels weird… sort of like you're floating on a fluffy, peaceful cloud."

"Without a single worry or doubt in the world," Hermione agreed.

"Like you have no control over your mind," Ron sighed.

When Harry and his friends entered the common room later that night it was to find a bob of red hair come flying at them.

"Thirtieth of October!" Ginny told them excitedly, motioning them to follow her to the notice board where a large poster, announcing the arrival date of the two opposing schools would arrive, was pinned up.

"A month and a half," Ron grinned. "Not long."

"Wonder what they'll be like," Harry wondered aloud.

"No different than us," Hermione raised an eyebrow at them. "Different accents, yes. Different dress styles, probably; but we're similar in all the ways that count".

"It's not like I'm racist, you know," Harry said dryly. "I'm not having a go at them. I just wondered how the teaching styles there differed to ours."

"Oh," Hermione brightened, visibly warming to the subject. "Durmstrang are more advanced than us; they work harder and pay more attention to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I'm not entirely sure about Beauxbatons; I know they use less-common spells, but I _think_ they're about the same as us… there aren't many books that mention them."

"Hey, do they have to like say the spells in a different language?" Ron asked. "Cause, I mean, English isn't their first language…"

"All spells are Latin, Ron," Ginny short her older brother a dirty look. "Even I know that. They're Latin world-wide."

"I was only asking!" Ron held up his hands.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"Potions is definitely getting harder," Ron scowled at Harry through the steam pouring out his cauldron. They were in their last – and most difficult - class of the week; Potions. Today they were completing the Shrinking Solution that they had started at the beginning of the week.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, glancing at Snape. He was at the opposite side of the room, completely out of earshot.

"You would find it easier if you'd just read your textbooks!" Hermione scolded them. Her potion was a bright purple – the perfect colour for the stage she was, at according to the book.

"But who wants to read about _Potions_ of all things?" Harry asked her, raising an eyebrow and thanking God Snape wasn't listening.

"I would think, what with you having a Potion's master for an Uncle, you would," Hermione frowned at Harry, turning back to her Potion to add the next ingredient.

"So you're going to be dentists, just like your parents?" Harry asked, adding powdered newt eyes to his potion.

"No," Hermione didn't look up from her potion, which she was stirring counter-clockwise three times every ten seconds. "But I read about their jobs, I learned what they do. I _listen_ when they talk to me about it."

"I listen when Sev talks to me about Potions! I just don't like reading about them – not everyone's perfect like you," Harry sighed, unable to come up with a better comeback. Hermione seemed to realize this and smiled smugly.

Ron was in a bad mood by the time they left Potions. His potion had been green by the end, whereas it was supposed to be a deep, midnight-blue colour.

"Cheer up, Ron," Harry clapped his friend on the back. "You're doing good so far. That's the first potion you've botched this year, usually you mess things up in the _first_ lesson – you've set a new record".

"Yeah, that makes me feel _loads_ better," Ron rolled his eyes, but he wasn't scowling quite so much now.

"Plus," Hermione added, shoving a book into her bag, "it's dinner time. You can't enjoy your food if you're grumping, can you?"  
"You're right," Ron forced his face into a half-smile. "No more grumping – it's food time!"

"Some things never change," Harry shook his head exasperatedly as Ron marched ahead of them.

When Harry and Hermione arrived, Ron was already well into his food; he had huge piles of _everything_ on his plate and had started eating.

"Wha' 'ook 'ou tho lon'?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

"Ron!" Hermione looked disgusted and instantly moved seats so that Harry was sitting between her and Ron. "What have I told you about talking with food in your mouth?"

"What's _mum_ told you about it?" Ginny asked her brother, sitting opposite them. She turned to look at Hermione. "She tells him off for it _all_ the time at home, but he never listens," she rolled her eyes, leaning forward to grab a chicken drumstick. "Oh," she said, when she leaned back. "Cho's coming over". Harry turned around, and sure enough, the Ravenclaw was heading towards him.

"Hey, Harry," Cho grinned when she reached the table.

"Hullo," Harry replied.

"Me and Ced were wondering if you wanted to play Quidditch again tomorrow," she said brightly. "You know, like last weekend?"

"Sure," said Harry after only a moments hesitation. "It was fun," he smiled.

"Okay," Cho smiled back. "We're meeting tomorrow at the same time – we'll be waiting!"

"I'll be there," Harry nodded, and Cho shot him one last smile before heading over to the Hufflepuff table, presumably to let Cedric know Harry would be there.

"Don't start," Harry warned, glancing at Ron's face. The redhead scowled a little, but didn't comment - obviously he felt his food was more important than arguing.

When Harry went to bed that night, he was surprised to notice that he had barely thought about Sirius, Remus or Tonks at all that week. _Maybe being away isn't as bad as I thought it would be_. Harry climbed into his bed and pulled the covers tight around him. _And what's better is I've not had any more visions – my scar hasn't hurt at all!_ Harry rolled his eyes when he heard Ron's snoring. _I really should cast a silencing charm on him_.

Harry got up early the next morning – so early, in fact, that he didn't think a single Gryffindor was awake yet. He stretched a bit, trying to wake himself up as he got dressed before grabbing his Firebolt and heading to the Great Hall to grab some toast. A few students – mostly Ravenclaw and a few Slytherin, not a single Gryffindor or Hufflepuff – were milling about, sleepily eating their breakfasts. Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonagall and Vector were all up at the Head table. Harry grinned and waved at Hagrid before he left the hall, eating the toast that he had collected in a napkin.

Harry had just finished his last piece when he reached the pitch to find Cho and Cedric already up in the air, racing each other from one goal to the other. It was Cedric who noticed him first and he pulled into a dive, landing about a meter from Harry. Cho glanced down and, noticing Harry, copied the Hufflepuff.

"You made it," she beamed at Harry as she stumbled somewhat clumsily off her broom.

"Course I did, you know me," Harry let Cho hug him enthusiastically. _Why do all girls do that? Always hugging everyone_.

"We haven't started with the snitch yet," Cedric said, motioning for the other two to follow him over to a large box sitting at the bottom of one set of goals. "We were just racing to kill time".

"I wasn't late, was I?" Harry frowned, wishing he had his watch on.

"Nah," Cedric waved his hand airily. "We were here early. Don't worry about it," he said, pulling out the snitch. "Okay," he closed the box and turned to look at Cho and Harry. "You two ready?" After quick nods from Harry and Cho, Cedric let the snitch go. The three Seekers waited a few minutes; allows the snitch to escape and hide before they each mounted their brooms, soaring up high and starting their race to catch the snitch, like a three-teamed Quidditch game minus the Keeper, Chasers and Beaters.

Harry, for the most part, didn't pay any attention to the other two; he was completely focusing on finding the snitch and enjoying his flight. Flying was one of the few things that left Harry feeling completely relaxed and worry-free, and he loved it. Of course, he didn't completely ignore the other two either; he wanted to know if either of them spotted the snitch before him. Harry flew up and down the pitch, searching high and low for the little magical gold ball. He and Cedric seemed to be moving around a lot whereas Cho's Seeker techniques were slightly different; she seemed to like hovering in certain areas that gave her a good view of the pitch (and her opponents), enabling her to easily spot the snitch should it appear.

Before Harry knew it, nearly ten minutes had gone by without a single sighting of the snitch. Of course, it probably wasn't that unusual; it probably just felt it as he didn't have other things – i.e. bludgers, team mates and commentary – distracting him.

Another ten minutes dragged on leaving the three Seekers slightly irritated. It was rather annoying to spend twenty minutes just hovering, eyes flicking round the pitch constantly. Harry normally wouldn't mind hovering in the air for so long, but this was competition, not a relaxing broom ride to explore his thoughts. Even in a game, at least he would have the Chasers, commentary and the bludgers to distract him… By this time last week they were already on their third race! Why was the snitch refusing to show itself this time?

Just as Harry was beginning to consider sitting in the stands to watch for the snitch – at least then he could summon a book to read – he noticed a spark of gold at the bottom of one of the goalposts. _Finally!_ Harry was up pretty high which gave him the perfect opportunity to go into a dive which he did so merrily. This was the part he loved about Quidditch; pulling off daring stunts that could result in terrible injuries if not done properly. The adrenaline pumping through your body gave you a hard-to-achieve high and when the stunt was pulled off properly you couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride. When Harry neared the ground, he pulled out of the dive, shoving out his arm and snatching the snitch. Cedric and Cho hadn't had a chance in catching it.

The three of them played seven more games after their first and thankfully, only one of them lasted more than ten minutes.

"So, same time next Saturday?" Cho asked brightly as Cedric re-packed the snitch.

"Yeah," Cedric nodded.

"Definitely," Harry agreed. The three went to the changing rooms to put their brooms (and Cedric to put the Quidditch balls) away before heading up to the castle.

"Hey," Harry said, starting up conversation. "You two are doing OWLs and NEWTs this year, aren't you? What are they like?"

"Hard," Cho said darkly.

"Exhausting," Cedric said after nodding his agreement with Cho's statement. "Just you two wait. The NEWT level classes are the worst things _ever_. They're _unbelievably_ hard."

"Harder than OWLs?" Cho asked nervously.

"Hell yeah," Cedric nodded.

"Bugger," was all Cho could say. Harry looked at them feeling slightly amused.

"Wow," Harry said lightly. "Now I'm really dreading next year."

The three continued talking about OWL and NEWT level classes until they reached the castle and each went their different ways; Cho to the library, Cedric off to a study group and Harry off to the kitchens as he had had a rather pitiful breakfast and missed lunch. Harry had learnt a lot about his potential future years at Hogwarts, and if he was honest he was rather dreading them; Cho and Cedric made them out to be the most tiring experiences of their life.

When he reached the kitchens, Harry tickled the pair on the portrait of the fruit bowl, which turned into a handle, and entered to be surrounded almost instantly by nearly a dozen elves – one of which was a very excited Dobby.

"How can we's help you, Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby beamed.

"I just want a quick lunch," Harry smiled at the elves. "I kinda missed it as I was out playing Quidditch."

"Of course, Harry Potter sir! We is glad to help! Is there anything in particular that sir would like?"

"Sandwiches are fine, thanks," Harry said, going over to sit at a small table in front of the fire. Minutes later a large plate of chicken sandwiches had been placed in front of him, along with a glass of pumpkin juice. Dobby came and joined Harry at the table and the two discussed Harry's life; Dobby was truly fascinated with everything to do with Harry. It was almost a relief, really, when Harry escaped the kitchens to go to the library and complete his homework. Dobby really was far too energetic for his own good.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry got up early again the next day to have a quick half-hour jog around the lake before having a short shower. Today when he reached the Great Hall their were plenty of students milling around… though none of them were fourth-year Gryffindors. '_Lazy Lions,'_ Harry thought with a grin.

After breakfast Harry stayed in the library until noon, making sure he had done his homework correctly. Well, really, he was finished his homework by ten-thirty, but he took the chance to read a book Sirius had advised he read on mixing Muggle fighting and Magical fighting – for example; using magic to help him jump higher or to improvise for lack of strength. And, really, he probably would have stayed in a lot longer if Ron hadn't dragged him out, complaining about him turning into 'another Hermione'. Well, it wasn't his fault the book was interesting.

After lunch, Harry and Hermione helped Ron and Ginny complete their homework before the four went out to the Quidditch field for their own Quidditch game. Or, rather, for Hermione to read while the other three played. They mainly just mucked about; Harry gave Ginny a few pointers as she wanted to tryout for the reserve Seeker next year then the two threw tennis balls at the goals for Ron who had expressed a vague interest in trying for Keeper next year seeing as Wood had left.

When Hermiones nagging and Ron's stomach insisted it was dinner time, they all headed back up to the castle. After their meals, Harry spent the remainder of his time before 8pm playing Wizard Chess with Ron and Exploding Snap with Ginny. Then, when eight o'clock finally arrived, he bid them goodbye and headed towards the Room of Requirements for his training session with Snape.

Harry paused outside the room to take a calming breath before opening the large wooden door that had appeared out of nowhere on the wall. Inside was a familiar room – white walls, cushioned floors and several bookcases over to one side - that he and Snape had used many times before when practicing spells and having mock-duels (where, of course, Snape would go easy on Harry to give him a chance).

"Punctual," Snape commented when Harry shut the door. "It makes a change."

"I'm only ever a couple of minutes late!" Harry protested good-heartedly. Snape didn't reply and simply took out his wand. "Duel time again?" Harry asked, pulling his own wand out.

"Your job is to disarm me," Snape nodded. "On the count of three. One, two… three!" Almost instantly the two started firing curses at each other, each determined to find an opening to steal their opponents wand. It took nearly a minute before Harry saw his chance. He used a shield charm, despite the fact that no curses were coming towards him, which caused Snape to pause slightly. This was all he needed and in the blink of an eye Harry stepped forward, taking his Uncle's wrist and twisting it, causing him to drop his wand. Snape looked surprised at this; Harry had only ever used magic in these sessions before; he'd never fought physically.

"You're improving," Snape told Harry with a proud smile. "Not many would think to use anything besides magic, nor would many think to distract their opponent by using an un-needed shield charm," Snape paused thoughtfully before positioning himself to have a second duel.

The two continued until nine o'clock when Snape sent Harry back to his dormitory. Grateful that he had his homework completed and thus had no reason to stay up, Harry instantly went to bed, exhausted from his time with Hogwarts' Potions Master.

The next couple of weeks passed quickly. Harry was gradually starting to spend more time with Cho and Cedric; not just playing Quidditch on Saturdays, but also meeting up with them in the library, or hanging out in the kitchens. It was like he now had two groups of friends; Ron, Hermione and Ginny in one group and Cho and Cedric in the other. The two older students had been a great help to Harry as they could help him with his homework and offer advice on which books would be beneficial to read for his classes.

The weekend before Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived was a Hogsmeade Weekend. Harry was looking forward to this as it would be the first time he had been into Hogsmeade with _permission_ due to the fact that last year the Dursleys hadn't signed his permission form – instead, he'd had to sneak out using a secret passageway to visit the village.

So that Saturday, after playing Quidditch with Cho and Cedric, Harry had a quick lunch before meeting up with Ron, Ginny and Hermione to go to Hogsmeade together. In a sense, it was new for both Harry and Ginny as Harry had never truly explored the village before and it was Ginny's first trip as she had only just entered third year. Harry fidgeted uncomfortably at the look Filch gave him as he checked Harry's name off on the list of students with permission to go.

"Does he always do that?" Harry asked once all four Gryffindors were outside and on their way.

"Look at you like a piece of dirt?" Ron asked with a grin. "Yeah".

Walking to Hogsmeade this way took a lot less time than the route Harry had used the previous year, which was using a secret passageway that led into the sweet shop, Honeydukes. Really, he had to say he preferred this path. By the time the group of four reached the village there were already a large amount of students milling about the streets and browsing stores.

"So," Harry said brightly, looking round the street. "Where to first?"

Harry and his friends spent the first half hour browsing around Zonkos, a joke shop that Fred and George visited regularly. Harry had to admit it was a rather good shop with _very_ original ideas. He even ended up buying a couple of items he hoped to use for future pranking. After this, Ginny dragged them all to Honeydukes where they each bought large bags of sweets to last them until the next Hogsmeade trip which wouldn't be until the weekend before Christmas.

After Honeydukes Hermione started talking about being thirsty and directed them all to the Three Broomsticks for Butterbeer. Harry had to smile when he entered the hotel; Butterbeer had been one of his favourite drinks since the first time he had ever had it. It was a student favourite despite the fact there was a touch of alcohol in it.

Once finished with their drinks the four headed off to explore the rest of the village; the littler shops, the monuments and finally, last of all, The Shrieking Shack.

"Ah, the good old days," Ron grinned as they stood outside the old 'haunted' building. "Remember when you snuck here with your Invisibility Cloak and got Malfoy? That was the best day of my life!"

"It was good," Harry agreed with a grin. "He thought it was one of the ghosts that haunt this place".

"Is it really haunted?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Nah," Ron waved her off.

"Mr Lupin – er, Remus – used to go there during the full moon when he was younger," Hermione explained to Ginny. "I guess the villagers just got scared because of all the noise he made when it was supposed to be deserted".

"Oh!" Ginny said brightly. "Do you know what it look's like inside?"

"We'll take you there sometime," Harry promised her. "The entrance is in the school grounds; that's why the Whomping Willow is there. It was planted over the entrance to help keep other students away".

"How do you get passed it?" Ginny asked.

"There's a knot at the base of the tree," Harry told her. "Just get a long stick and poke it, the tree stays still for half a minute and there's a gap between the roots you slip into".

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The next day after breakfast Harry left Ron and Hermione in the library and went to visit Hagrid. It had been far too long since he and Hagrid had talked; Harry never seemed to visit him outside of class anymore.

When he reached Hagrids' he saw the man in question out digging up the earth beside his cabin.

"Hey, Hagrid," Harry smiled as he walked up to his oldest friend. "What're you doing?"

"Plan'in' pumpkins," Hagrid said proudly. "Gonna make 'em real big this year, wha' wi' the other schools comin' an' tha'".

"In other words, the schools determined to make a good impression," Harry grinned. "Listen, Hagrid, I'm sorry I've not been down to visit more - "

"Nonsense," Hagrid waved a huge hand airily. "I know yeh must've bin busy getting' se'lled back inteh school an' tha'. Ah knew yed be down teh visi' eventually."

"Yeah, well," Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I'll come visit you more often, anyway."

"I'll look forward teh it," Hagrid beamed at him. "C'mon, then. Ah could do wi' a break. Let's go have some tea." Harry nodded and the two made their way into Hagrid's home.

"So how've yeh bin, Harry?" Hagrid asked, handing him a cup of tea and joining him at the table. "I hear yeh'v bin makin' new friends."

"Hmm?" Harry asked, confused. "Oh, you mean Cho and Cedric. Yeah, we started playing Quidditch on Saturdays to make up for the lack of the game this year."

"Yeah, ah'v seen yeh out there. Amazin' on a broom, jus' like yer father."

"Thanks," Harry smiled at his friend. "Enough about me, though. What have you been up to? I haven't seen you about much."

"Me? A've bin helpin' out Dumbledore wi' all this Tournament stuff," Hagrid said proudly. "He wants my opinions on stuff, see, and there's a lot tha' ah kin help with – gonna be creatures in the tournament, see? An' ah know how teh work wih thum n' stuff."

"Well, I'm happy for you," Harry smiled softly. "I take it the Tournament's gonna be good? Sirius, Remus and Tonks didn't say much about it over Summer."

"Well, ah aint gonna talk 'bout it much, either. Sorry, Harry, it's top secret. Bu' yeh, it's gonna be brilliant. Ye'll love it."

Harry stayed with Hagrid until lunch time where he politely excused himself and headed back up to the castle. Once there, he found Ron and Hermione already sitting in the Great Hall with Ginny and the blonde Ravenclaw, Luna.

"Oh, hello, Harry," Luna said to him in a dreamy voice as he joined the group.

"Hullo, Luna," Harry replied to the Ravenclaw. Before he could say anything else, Ron cut in.

"Where've you been all morning? You left me stuck with Hermione! In the _Library!_"

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Harry smiled slyly at his friend. "And I was down at Hagrids. I haven't really talked to him much this year."

"Oh, why didn't you say?" Hermione sounded upset. "I've been meaning to go visit him for awhile, too."

"Sorry," Harry shrugged apologetically. "I just wanted to see him on my own for a bit." He got a strange look for that, but no-one said anything.

The next few weeks seemed to pass by in no time at all and soon it was Friday the 30th October; the day that the two visiting schools arrived. That morning half the students were up earlier than usual, meaning Harry wasn't sitting on his own in the Great Hall for too long.

Classes that day seemed to go on forever as everyone was so excited about the upcoming event. What was in reality only a few hours felt like a full day – but, finally, it was time to go out into the courtyard to watch the schools arriving. Harry stood with Ron and Hermione for this, as the students were standing arranged by houses and years.

"How do you think they'll arrive?" Ron asked excitedly.

"I dunno," Harry said tiredly, rubbing his head which was starting to hurt. "Some way fancy. They'll want to make a good impression."

"Is your scar hurting again, Harry?" Hermione stopped their conversation, looking at Harry in concern.

"It's just a headache," Harry brushed her off. "Really," he said, noticing she didn't believe him. "Once the schools arrive, I'll go get a potion for it from Madam Pomfrey."

"If you say so," Hermione sounded vaguely doubtful, but obviously decided to drop it for now. That didn't stop her and Ron glancing at Harry every couple of minutes, though, as they waited.

"Look! In the sky!" a first year Slytherin was pointing excitedly above the Forbidden Forest where something large was indeed heading towards them. The closer the flying object came, the worse Harry's headache seemed to get. _What the hell is going on here?_ Finally the object was close enough to see properly; it was a large white carriage with an intricate gold design being pulled along by large, winged white horses that reminded Harry of 'Pegasus' from 'Hercules'. The crowd started cheering as the carriage landed, but Harry could barely see it. His teeth were clenched to keep from crying out and he felt dizzy.

"Look, I'm going to go see Pomfrey," Harry told his friends. "You two stay here, I'll be back soon. If Durmstrang arrive before I do, I expect all the details, you hear?" he asked, trying to convince them to stay.

"If you're not back in ten minutes we'll come find you," Hermione nodded, looking worried.

"You sure you can make it, mate?" Ron asked, concerned. "You don't look to stable on your feet."

"I'll be fine," Harry brushed them off, murmuring a quick apology to Professor McGonagall and heading to the Hospital Wing.

By the time he reached the Hospital, Harry was ready to collapse.

"Madam Pomfrey?" he called weakly, dropping down onto one of the beds. Moments later she came bustling over to him.

"You again, Mr Potter?" she raised an eyebrow at him and sighed. "What can I do for you this time?"

"Headache…" Harry croaked out. "S'bad," it really was rather difficult to speak now, although he could feel his mouth moving. _I don't even know what I'm saying!_ He could feel his body tingling with something, which only made him feel worse. He could hear noise, knew that it was Madam Pomfrey talking, but he couldn't bring himself to concentrate on her words. Before he knew it, his world was turning black.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

When Harry woke up it was to hear quiet voices conversing with each other and fingers running soothingly through his hair. Groaning a little, Harry forced himself to open his eyes and sit up. Almost instantly he felt a pair of hands helping him before they returned to running through his hair; an action that always calmed Harry. A second later he felt his glasses being put on his face and opened his eyes again (_when did I close them?_) to see Sirius and Remus watching him with concerned looks.

"Hullo," Harry said, yawning slightly.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius smiled softly. "You gave us quite a fright there, you know. Are you trying to turn me grey?"

"You're already grey," Harry joked before turning serious. "What happened?" Harry frowned. He could barely remember.

"You came here and started rambling about a headache to Madam Pomfrey," Remus said, moving closer to Harry on the bed. "Before she could get any proper sense out of you, you passed out. You've been unconscious for two days."

"What?" Harry gasped. "I missed Halloween – I missed the Champion Selections!"

"Um, yes," Sirius said uncomfortably. "Well, Harry… about that…"

"What happened?" Harry asked instantly, fear flooding through his body. It took a lot to get Sirius nervous like that. "What happened?" he repeated when neither of his guardians spoke.

"First, let's explain how this works," Remus said, clearing his throat slightly. "When a name gets put into the cup, it is automatically bonded to a magical contract that is completely impossible to get out of. Therefore if that name gets selected by the cup, that person will have to compete – even if it goes against the rules and restrictions. If they didn't, they would die from not fulfilling their end of the contract."

"Also, it doesn't matter who enters the name," Sirius added uncomfortably. "Someone could add their enemie's name, and if that enemies name got chosen, said enemy would have to compete in the Tournament."

"And what's this got to do with me missing the Selections?" Harry asked apprehensively, already having vague suspicions.

"Well, Harry, you see…" Remus trailed off, looking to Sirius for help.

"Someone put your name in the cup, Harry. Someone put it in, and your name got chosen to be a part of this Tournament."

* * *

Okay, so here's the next chapter : It was once again untested as Lizzie has now informed me that she cannot continue to beta my chapters; school is much more demanding than she was expecting it. Therefor I am in great need of a new beta. I've posted in numerous forums but people are either disinterested or my topic gets deleted due to the fact that there is a rape scene and self-harm in the fic. Sooo - if you, or anyone you know, has free time and would like to beta HP Year 4 for me, please do let me know in a review or e-mail! Thanks, and don't forget to let me know what you think. : 


	6. Friendly Champions

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 5

Harry spent the rest of the day talking to Sirius and Remus about the Tournament. He learned who the other three Champions were (Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum from Durmstrang and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts) and that the 'First Task' as it was being called would be held on the 24th November. Most of the day had been spent trying to keep Harry calm.

To say Harry had been horrified to learn that Cedric was the other Champion would be an understatement. His main worry was whether or not Cedric would want to remain friends; he couldn't help but think that Cedric might be angry or hurt that Harry was once again stealing some of the spotlight. Sirius and Remus had tried to assure Harry that Cedric still wanted to be friends, that the Hufflepuff had in fact asked to know when Harry awoke so they could talk, but Harry refused to believe it until he talked to Cedric himself.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. The day after he woke up Cedric came to visit him during lunch.

"Hey, Harry," Cedric smiled at him as he sat down beside the bed. "You took your time waking up, didn't you?" he teased.

"Yeah," Harry said uncomfortably. "Look - "

"I know," Cedric held up a hand. "Mr Black told me your worries when he talked to my yesterday. Trust me, Harry, I still want us to be friends. It's not your fault your name got entered in the Cup. Don't worry about it, I'm not going to let this Tournament get in the way of any of my friendships."

"Okay," Harry smiled softly. "Thanks, Cedric."

"Don't mention it," the older Hufflepuff grinned. "So how're you holding up?"

"I feel fine," Harry answered honestly. "Madam Pomfrey is just a little… ah, over-protective of me. I seem to get injured more than anyone else, she always seems so reluctant to let me leave now."

"That's what you get for being a magnet for trouble," Cedric grinned understandingly. "How long do you need to stay for?"

"A week," Harry scowled. "She's not letting me out 'til next Saturday. I'll have to miss the Quidditch game."

"We'll be fine without you," Cedric said reassuringly. "And, um, about that. If it's okay with you, Cho and I were thinking about inviting Viktor along to play with us."

"You're on first-name terms with him already?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Cedric laughed. "We ran into each other in the library and got talking. Both of us figured we might as well be friends; it'll make the Tournament more fun, you see?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Well, it's fine with me. Who knows, maybe we'll even pick up a few tips from him."

"Yeah, who knows?" Cedric agreed. "Listen, I better go. I still have to get lunch and then I've got Potions – Snape won't be happy if I'm late. Cho said she'd come visit you tomorrow after classes, alright?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Harry smiled. Cedric smiled back.

"I'll visit you again soon," Cedric promised as he turned to leave.

"Bye," Harry called softly.

True to her word, Cho came to visit Harry the next day after her final class.

"Hey there, Potter," she grinned at him.

"Hullo there, _Chang_," Harry grinned back. Cho visibly shuddered and held her hands up in a surrender.

"Okay, first names it is," she grinned at him, sitting down on the seat Cedric had used yesterday. "So how are you? I can only imagine how bored you are."

"It's not that bad, actually," Harry shrugged. "Sirius and Remus stay here a lot, as do Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna."  
"Luna?" Cho asked quizzically.

"Yeah, I got to know her through Ginny," Harry grinned.

"Oh," Cho nodded in understanding. There was silence for a moment as they tried to think of what to say. "So, err, did you get things sorted out with Cedric yesterday?"

"Yeah, I did," Harry nodded. "Guess I shouldn't have worried so much."

"Yeah," Cho nodded sympathetically. "You should have seen him after your name came out, though. He was furious that there wasn't a way for you to get out of it. He's really worried for you."  
"He is?" Harry asked in surprise. "He didn't seem worried yesterday."

"He doesn't want you to know, obviously," Cho said with a small smile. "He kept ranting to me about it, though. He's already said 'screw the rules'; he's determined to help you in any way he can."

"It can't be that bad," Harry protested weakly.

"It's based on seventh-year knowledge, Harry," Cho smiled sadly. "It's designed to be a real challenge for _seventh_-years. Bearing that in mind, I'm not surprised he wants to help you." Harry sighed.

"He really shouldn't bother; he needs to concentrate on his own problems," Harry said softly. "I'll be fine. I always find a way to struggle through everything."

"Yeah, that you do," Cho nodded with a grin.

Harry and Cho sat in conversation for nearly an hour before Cho finally left for the kitchens saying she needed to get some food and start her homework. Barely five minutes after she had left, Madam Pomfrey brought a bowl of soup over to Harry.

"I want every last drop eaten up, alright?" the matron asked in a firm voice – actually, it was more like a statement.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said, rolling his eyes when Pomfrey turned away. Harry obediently ate the whole bowl of soup before he felt his eyes drooping. _She mixed a potion in that_. He was vaguely aware of Madam Pomfrey taking the bowl away and tucking him into the bed before everything turned black.

Harry didn't wake up again until early next morning and nearly had a heart attack when he saw a blurry snake sitting right beside his head. He jumped up with a yelp which earned a chuckle from someone sitting beside his bed and he looked round to see a blurry Remus. Harry rubbed his eyes before sticking his glasses on and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was only Sally resting on his pillow.

"Hey girl," Harry said softly, letting Sally wrap herself around his wrist. "I've missed you."

"As have I," Sally told him, sounding almost hurt. "I have had nobody to talk to."

"Oh," Harry bit his bottom lip. "Sorry. I didn't even think about that… but you're here now, right? I'll talk to Hagrid and see if he can find you a little friend, okay?" After Sally nodded, Harry turned his attention to his guardian. "Sorry about that," he grinned.

"It's alright," Remus shook his head. "She missed you, you know. She stayed in your room a lot."

"I didn't mean for her to get lonely," Harry said sadly. "I think she forgave me, though," he grinned. "I promised I'd talk to Hagrid about finding her a friend."

"That would be a good idea," Remus nodded his approval. The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments after that until a question popped into Harry's head.

"So… how long are you and Sirius going to be staying?" Harry asked softly.

"Probably all year," Remus smiled at him. "Sirius doesn't want to leave you alone here now that you're a part of this Tournament and I have to say I agree with him. We'd much rather be here to keep an eye on you."

"What about Kreacher?" Harry frowned. "You're just going to leave him alone at Grimmauld Place?"

"Sirius brought him to Hogwarts," said Remus, shaking his head. "He's got him working down in the kitchens where Dobby can keep an eye on him for us."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Over the course of his stay Harry got a lot of visitors. Sirius and Remus visited the most, followed by Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna (who always came with Ginny). Snape, Cho and Cedric also visited a few times, as did Viktor Krum, who Cedric had pulled along so he could introduce the two to each other. Things had been a little awkward at first, but by the time Cedric and Viktor left Harry reckoned he had a sort-of friendship with the Bulgarian, though he wasn't sure if it was because Viktor actually liked him or if he was just being polite to Harry. It was hard to tell.

Despite all the visitors Harry received, he still spent a lot of time on his own – mainly during class time where his friends couldn't come and when Sirius and Remus were in meetings with Dumbledore. He was curious as to what they were about but no-one would tell him anything. To pass the time, Harry had taken up his Summertime hobby; reading. He wanted to make sure he was prepared for the First Task and was determined to learn as much as he could; he knew nothing about the Task, after all, so anything he read could be beneficial.

When Harry was finally released from the Hospital Wing it was a relief, even if it meant Divination first period. He escaped to the Great Hall for his breakfast, sitting down beside Ron and Hermione who were already there.

"You're finally out," Ron grinned at him.

"Finally being the main word, there," Harry scowled. "I can't believe she kept me for a _week_!"

"Well, it could have done some lasting damage," Hermione protested softly. "Not many people can feel magic like that, Harry," she whispered, leaning in so only he and Ron could hear her. "I've been doing some research on that; some people actually ended up committing suicide, especially during wars. They couldn't cope with the magic overpowering their senses like that. Never mind suicide, some of them died because their bodies couldn't cope. Madam Pomfrey was right to keep you there; she had to make sure nothing happened to you."

"Well, if you're going to use logic," Harry scowled again.

The trio finished breakfast before splitting up; Hermione going to Arithmancy while Harry and Ron went to Divination.

"Y'know, I reckon I should've copied her," Harry said candidly as he and Ron started their long trek up to the North Tower.

"Huh?" Ron looked totally confused at Harry's random announcement.

"Copied Hermione," Harry explained, "dropped Divination. Arithmancy might be hard, but I'd bet it's a damn lot more useful than gazing into glass balls all period."

"Personally, I'd rather stare at the ball," Ron grinned. "We get to talk, and we don't get much homework. You're not serious, are you? Even Hermione struggles with Arithmancy, we'd be lost!"

"We could do just as good as Hermione if we actually bothered reading half the amount of books she does," Harry shrugged.

"Yeah, but she's insane," Ron argued back, albeit half-heartedly. "I don't get how she can actually enjoy reading that stuff."

"Well, a lot of muggles enjoy reading," Harry said thoughtfully. "So does Remus, he reads a lot. Sirius and Tonks always tease him about it, though."

"I give up," Ron threw up his hands in a surrender.

Harry didn't know how he made it through Divination without hexing Trelawney, who had taken to predicting a fiery death for him.

"I mean, how stupid do you have to be to tell someone he's going to die when he's just been entered into a Tournament that could very well result in death?" Harry ranted furiously at lunch.

"You know not to take her seriously," Hermione said sympathetically.

"Not the point," Harry brushed her off. "She's lucky I don't believe her. If I did…"

"We understand," Hermione said in the same sympathetic voice. "Just try to stop thinking about it. Don't let her ruin your day."

"I guess you're right," Harry let out a long sigh, trying to calm himself down.

Later that night the Gryffindor Common room was full of an excited buzzing.

"What've I missed?" Harry asked as he plopped himself down on a chair by the fire, having just come from the Marauder Quarters.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend," Hermione said as she scratched Crookshanks' ears.

"Oh," Harry said before smiling. "Good. I could do with a break."

"You've looked tired lately," Hermione said in concern. "While you were in the Hospital Wing I overheard Madam Pomfrey talking to Sirius. Apparently she was slipping Dreamless Sleep Potion into your food just to get you to sleep."

"I did wonder why I always felt tired after dinner," Harry shook his head in exasperation. "It's nothing to worry about, I've just been reading and thinking a lot. I want to be as prepared as I can for this First Task… I'd rather not get injured too badly, thank you very much."

"Well, I can understand your concerns," Hermione nodded sympathetically. "That doesn't mean you should cut back on sleep, though."

"You try being in my position, Hermione," Harry said tiredly, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "I don't know what I'm facing. The Task is based on seventh year knowledge – they could be expecting spells I've never even heard of, let alone attempted to cast!"

"But cutting back on sleep isn't the answer," Hermione protested. "You'll learn less, too," she said, brushing fur off her clothes as Crookshanks jumped off her. "It's a proven fact that if you don't get enough sleep your memory suffers. You're doing yourself more harm than good, Harry."

"Save it," Harry said firmly. "I can't be bothered arguing with you over the amount of _sleep_ I get. I'll make sure I get my '8 hours a night', alright?" and with that he headed up to his dormitory. He didn't know why he wanted to lash out so much; maybe he really _did_ need to get more sleep.

The next morning at breakfast was slightly awkward until Ron and Ginny arrived, lightening the mood considerably. Harry had apologised to Hermione for leaving so suddenly last night but Hermione hadn't seemed to mind too much. By the time Harry left with Ron and Hermione for Charms, everything was back to normal.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The rest of the week passed by without incident. Harry kept his promise to Hermione and tried to get enough sleep every night which in turn helped keep his temper under better control.

On Friday morning Harry was surprised to find Hedwig waiting for him at the Gryffindor table with a note. He quickly took it, offering Hedwig a piece of bacon before she left and read it with Ron and Hermione glancing at it over his shoulder.

_Harry, _

_Meet me tonight at midnight. Bring your cloak. _

_Hagrid_

"What's he want to see you for?" Ron frowned. Harry shrugged helplessly.

"I have no idea. Must be important, he's never asked me to visit him so late before."

Harry found his concentration failing that day. No matter how hard he tried to keep his mind on his work, he couldn't seem to stop pondering over Hagrid's note. _What's so important that I have to wait until midnight?_

When Harry talked to Sirius and Remus after his final class (Potions) they had no idea what Hagrid wanted to talk about, either.

"Just be careful when you go down there," Sirius warned him.

"I'll be fine," Harry smiled reassuringly. "Cloak on and wand out at all times. Quit worrying."

Harry left the castle at ten to midnight. He went slowly as there were still teachers strolling about the halls and his Invisibility cloak only hid him; it didn't silence him. As promised, he had his wand out the whole time. He felt relieved when he finally reached the doors and slipped outside into the grounds; he hadn't bothered bringing the Marauders Map and had a heart attack every time a teacher rounded the corner. _At least I won't run into anyone out here_. Now that he didn't have to worry about making too much noise, Harry picked up the pace and reached Hagrid's hut within a few minutes to find Hagrid standing nervously outside the door.

"Hello," Harry said softly to alert Hagrid he was there.

"Ah, yer here," Hagrid nodded excitedly.

"Hagrid… what've you done to your hair?" Harry asked, trying desperately not to sound amused.

"Hmm? Oh, I used some gel on it. Right, c'mon," Hagrid started walking away with huge strides that Harry had to jog to keep up with.

Hagrid took them first to pick up Madame Maxine which piqued Harry's curiosity. _He wants to show us both something?_ Harry tried his hardest to ignore the sickening 'flirts' going between the two as he followed them into the Forbidden Forest where he could hear faint shouts. As they got closer, Harry could also hear roars and felt uncertainty fill him.

It took them ten minutes to reach the place Hagrid wanted to show them, and Harry couldn't help his jaw dropping in shock when they did. There were a good thirty or so well-built wizards all standing around with four sleeping dragons.

"Beau'iful, ain't they?" Hagrid asked happily. This got the attention of the other wizards, one of whom stepped towards Hagrid.

"Hey, Hagrid," Charlie Weasley greeted. "Er, you do know the Champion's aren't supposed to know about this?" he asked, glancing at Madam Maxime.

"She won' tell," Hagrid reassured him, but it was obvious Charlie didn't believe him. Bill shook his head in exaggeration. "Do they havta fight 'em?" Hagrid asked, gazing longingly at the dragons.

"Just get past them, I think," Charlie shook his head, still casting a suspicious look at Madam Maxime. "I think they have to steal one of the eggs or something. We haven't been told much; we've just to be there in case the dragons get out of control." Harry backed away slowly, wincing as flames shot out of one of the snoring dragons nostrils. _I have to get past a DRAGON for the first task?_ Harry quickly turned, ready to head back to the castle when he noticed a figure standing in the trees. _Karkaroff. He'll tell Viktor._ Harry scowled at Karkaroff as he passed him, although Karkaroff couldn't see it thanks to Harry's Invisibility cloak. As soon as he was out the forest, Harry ran back to the castle.

When Harry got back to his dorm it was nearly one am. He didn't bother getting changed as he slipped into bed and lay staring at the ceiling. _I have to face dragons in the first task. Viktor and Fleur are going to know, too… I need to tell Cedric. **Dragons. **__How the hell am I supposed to get passed a dragon? I haven't learned about them yet! Shit, I've got a lot of research to do_. Thousands of thoughts flowed through Harry's mind all night, leaving him unable to sleep until nearly six am when he finally drifted off into dreamland.

Ron tried to wake Harry up at seven, but Harry groaned and turned over, completely ignoring him. It did the trick. Ron didn't bother Harry again until it was time to visit Hogsmeade in the afternoon, where Harry once again had to snap at Ron to go away and let him sleep. Ron left a few moments later but before Harry could slip back into blissful unconsciousness he heard two people entering his dorm.

"Harry?" it was Remus.

"Talk to us, kiddo," Sirius said, and Harry felt someone sitting down on his right followed by someone sitting on his left a few seconds later. "What's wrong?"

"You could've reminded me," Harry said sleepily, forcing himself to open his eyes and sit up. "About the dragons. You mentioned them during the Summer, but after my name came out you let me go around totally clueless."

"Sorry, cub," Remus apologised softly. "After your name came out, Albus swore us to secrecy; we're not allowed to tell you what we know."

"How did you find out – is that what Hagrid wanted to talk to you about?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, reaching up to rub the sleep out of his eyes before putting on his glasses. "He took me to see the dragons in the forest… he showed Madam Maxime, too."

"Idiot!" Sirius exclaimed, causing Harry to jump. "Sorry, kiddo," he smiled apologetically. "Doesn't he know she'll tell Fleur?"

"Fairs fair," Harry mumbled, causing his guardians to look at him curiously. "I saw Karkaroff hiding in the trees when I was leaving," he explained. "He'll have told Viktor… which means I need to tell Cedric."

"Are you sure you need to tell him?" Sirius asked, causing Harry to look at him incredulously.

"Of course I need to tell him!" Harry exclaimed. "He's my friend, and he's the only one who doesn't know what he's facing! He'd be at a disadvantage if he didn't know!"

"He's got a point, Sirius," Remus smiled proudly as he ruffled Harry's hair. "It would be unfair."

Seeing as he was now awake, Harry ended up getting up and going for a walk around the grounds. It had taken a lot to persuade his guardians he just needed time alone to think, but eventually they'd left him be, which was how he came to be standing beside the lake eating toast whilst occasionally breaking parts off to throw to the Giant Squid.

Harry didn't know how long he was at the lake, simply staring out at the clear water sparkling in the reflection of the sun before he sensed someone approaching. He guessed that it had been at least an hour, though. He sighed before turning slowly to find it was a rather tired-looking Viktor Krum heading towards him.

"Hey," Harry said softly, offering a small smile which Viktor returned.

"Harry," Viktor nodded. He joined Harry at the lake, gazing out over the water. "Is something on your mind? You seem preoccupied."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, glancing at Viktor out of the side of his eyes. _It's now or never, right? I need to find out if he knows_. "Listen," Harry turned round so he was facing his 'opponent'. "Last night, did Karkaroff tell you about the First Task? I saw him in the forest." Viktor gave Harry a startled look before glancing away, obviously debating his answer.

"Yes," Viktor said finally, looking at Harry uneasily. "You know about it, too?"

"Hagrid showed me them," Harry said softly as he turned his gaze to the lake again. "That means you and Fleur both know… Cedric's the only one who doesn't."

"Are you going to tell him?" Viktor asked him curiously.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "It's not fair to keep this from him; it's giving us all an advantage. I'm going to find him tomorrow and talk to him… he deserves to know."

"You are very noble, Harry Potter," Viktor grinned, causing Harry to stare at him in confusion. "Most people would love to have the advantage, but not you," he explained.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Not me."

Later that night when everyone had arrived back from Hogsmeade, Harry dragged his friends out into the grounds for some privacy while they talked. Despite the fact he was keeping the Tournament fair, he didn't think the teachers would be too happy with so many people knowing what the First Task included.

"Spill, Harry," Ron said bluntly when Harry finally slowed down and dropped down to sit on the grass in front of the lake. "You've been out of it all day."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded before kneeling down beside Harry. "What is it?" she asked in a gentle voice. "Ron does have a point, you've been sort of… withdrawn."

"Yeah, sorry," Harry smiled tiredly. Gazing out over the water again, the sparkling reflection of the sun had been replaced with a large white crescent moon and occasional spots of light from the brightest of the stars. "I found out what I need to do in the First Task," Harry said after a few moments of silence. He glanced over to his friends before continuing. "I have to get past a dragon," he told them. "Well, actually, I have to steal an egg from a dragon," he corrected himself.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione looked horrified; her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly open.

"You're expected to get past a dragon?" Ron also looked uneasy with this fact. "B-but we've not learned about them yet… and Charlie, he works with dragons in Romania. He says the dragons are real dangerous, no-ones allowed to go near them without backup!"

"Charlie's here," Harry told him. "There's a whole tonne of wizards who came with the dragons. They're going to be standing off to the side or something in case the dragons get out of hand."

"It still seems so dangerous," Hermione said nervously.

"That's because it _is_ dangerous," Harry told her with a weak smile. "I've still got two weeks. I'll think of something."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Having gone to bed extremely early the previous night still feeling tired from his lack of sleep the night before, Harry was up at five am on Sunday morning. _Great, just great_, Harry thought sarcastically. Sighing heavily, Harry pulled himself out of bed and got dressed, knowing there was no point even attempting to get anymore sleep.

Harry nipped down to the kitchens to grab some toast before he started his usual jog around the lake. The air was cool and helped wake Harry up properly as he ran. After jogging for forty-five minutes, Harry sat down at the edge of the lake to once again gaze over the water. _I can see myself doing this a lot more in future. It's so peaceful_. He smiled as he saw fish swimming around, their scales shining in the moonlight; the sun was yet to rise properly.

When at last the sun did rise, Harry cast a few refresher charms on himself as he couldn't be bothered with a shower before heading into the castle where he was once again the first student in the hall. He inwardly groaned when he noticed McGonagall, always the early riser, giving him a concerned glance. _Okay, I need to stop being the first student here. _He plonked himself down, grateful that he had a book shrunken in his pocket as he knew it would be at least another half hour before the food appeared. He busied himself with his reading – _Magical Creatures_ – that he'd found in the library yesterday; he was reading the chapter (predictably) on dragons. As he read he tried to figure out how he was going to tell Cedric but, unable to decide on a specific strategy, he decided he'd just go with the flow when he caught Cedric on his own. As Harry was already three quarters of the way through the chapter it didn't take him long to finish it and when he did he slammed the book shut in frustration, ignoring the startled first year students sitting not too far from him. The book had hardly mentioned anything worth knowing – in fact, all it had really served to do was make him even more nervous than he already was. Harry sighed when he felt some of the teachers gazes on him and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. _Do they have to keep looking at me like that?_ Glancing at the table, Harry noticed the food had appeared, but he didn't really feel hungry. Instead he grabbed a quick drink of coffee before heading to the library to return the book. _And hopefully find a better one_.

Harry spent the remainder of the morning in the library flicking through book after book on dragons, each filled with pointless information that was certainly not going to help him. When he felt someone place their hand on their shoulder near lunch time he actually jumped in surprise, nearly grabbing his wand before he realised it was Cho… with Cedric.

"Hey, Harry," Cho smiled at him as she moved round the table to sit down opposite him.

"Hullo, Cho," Harry said tiredly. "Cedric," he greeted the Hufflepuff who had followed Cho to the other side of the table.

"Hey, Harry," Cedric grinned at him. "Care to explain the dragon books?" he asked, motioning towards the pile of books in front of Harry.

"Yeah, I was gonna tell you anyway," he replied, earning a curious look from his two friends. Harry pulled out his wand and cast a silencing charm and privacy charm around them before turning back to look at them. "Listen," Harry started softly. "On Friday Hagrid took me out to the Forest to show me what was going to be in the First Task," he said, looking directly at Cedric. "There were four dragons; one for each of us. Charlie – Ron's brother – said we have to steal an egg from one of the dragons."

"Okay," Cedric breathed, looking a little paler than he had before. "Are you sure, Harry?" he asked nervously.

"Positive," Harry nodded, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. "Fleur and Viktor know, too. Hagrid took Madam Maxime with him and when I was coming back to the castle I saw Karkaroff hiding in the trees."

"And you know for a fact they told their students?" Cedric asked, clearly more for politeness than the fact that he doubted Harry.

"Well, I don't for sure about Fleur, I guess," Harry shrugged. "I checked with Viktor yesterday, though, and Karkaroff definitely told him."

"Okay," Cedric said softly, sharing an uneasy glance with Cho before turning to Harry and forcing a smile. "Mind if I borrow your books?"

Harry left the two just after lunch to go find Ron and Hermione, though instead he ended up running – quite literally – into Fleur.

"Oh, I am sorry, 'Arry!" Fleur apologised sincerely as Harry helped her up off the floor. "I wasn't looking where I was going - "

"It's okay," Harry smiled at her. It was then that he noticed how bright Fleurs eyes were. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. "Who were you running from?"

"My classmates," Fleur told him sadly. "Zey are being 'orrible to me."

"Because of the Tournament?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Fleur nodded, her gaze dropping. "Zey are jealous, but zey do not realize how dangerous eet ees."

"Dangerous?" Harry raised an eyebrow, and Fleur instantly flinched.

"What I mean ees - "

"She told you about the dragons?" Harry offered, causing Fleur to look up at him in surprise. He smiled at her. "We all know," Harry told her as the two started walking out to the grounds. "Karkaroff was hiding in the trees the night Hagrid showed Madam Maxime, and I was there too. When I guessed us three all knew, I felt I had to tell Cedric."

"That ees good," Fleur said, giving him a proper smile. "I actually felt rather bad when I thought I was ze only one who knew."

"But you didn't want to tell in case you got in trouble," Harry nodded in understanding. "Well, you can stop feeling bad now," he told her with a grin. "We all know; it's all fair."

Harry didn't return to the castle until dinner time. He spent most of the afternoon talking to Fleur, each of them simply getting to know each other a little more. Despite the superior vibe that Fleur always seemed to send out, she was actually one of the most down-to-earth girls Harry had met in a while. She had no interest in gossip and was always honest; she didn't sugar-coat things and wasn't two-faced. All in all, Harry had to admit he liked her. After Fleur had left claiming she wanted to get more research done, Harry had sat down by the lake and read some of the book he'd brought with him from the library, but it didn't seem to be any more of a help than any of the other books he had read.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked as soon as Harry sat down. "We looked everywhere for you!"

"You can't have looked hard, then," Harry said candidly as he filled his plate with food. "I spent the morning in the library and the afternoon out in the grounds."

"Well, we know you were in the library," Hermione said. "Cho told us you'd left to come find me and Ron, that's why we were worried."

"Oh," Harry said softly. "Sorry, should've thought of that. I ran into Fleur on the way and we ended up talking."

"Really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And she didn't use the old Veela-charm on you?"

"If she did I didn't feel it," Harry shrugged. He budged over a little as Ron came and joined them at the table. "She's really nice, actually. Well, she seems so anyway. One meeting isn't really enough to know for sure, though."

It was during Harry's training session with Severus that night that he had a brainwave. At nine o'clock on the dot Harry rushed from the room leaving a slightly concerned Snape in his wake, but he didn't notice. He was determined to get to the library before it closed, which meant he had little over five minutes. _I have to get that book!_

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry was up early next morning, but luckily had slept in later than usual. It was half six, which really wasn't too bad considering most people got up around seven thirty. _It's better than being up at five, anyway_.

He dressed quietly, relieved that he had had a shower last night, before grabbing the things he would need for today and leaving the tower for the Great Hall where he blended in relatively easily due to the groups of other early-risers. Plonking himself down at the table, Harry pulled out the book he had retrieved from the library last night on the Disillusionment Charm. Whilst duelling Snape he had somehow come up with the idea of becoming invisible to get passed the dragon, or even using the charm on the egg he needed to retrieve, but he was only allowed his wand in the First Task and wasn't sure if that rule could be bent enough for him to summon his Invisibility Cloak… which meant he now had to learn a NEWT-level charm.

Harry was finding it rather difficult to concentrate in his classes that day as all he could do was worry about learning the Charm. Sirius had mentioned it in passing before so Harry knew it was an extremely difficult Charm to learn for older students, never mind a fourteen year old.

All he really wanted was for his classes to be over so he could escape to the Room of Requirements to practice the Charm but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be; Snape had noticed Harry's lack of concentration in class and asked him to stay behind. When the bell rang Harry packed up his things with a sigh and waited for everyone to leave before walking up to his Uncle's desk.

"You wanted to see me?" Harry asked softly.

"Is something bothering you?" Snape asked him, leaning back in his chair to regard Harry concernedly. Harry raised an eyebrow, and Snape rolled his eyes. "Something more than usual, I mean," Snape corrected himself. "You seem more distracted than you usually do."

"I just have a lot on my mind," Harry said, chewing his bottom lip.

"If you want to talk - "

"I'm fine," Harry cut across him firmly. "If that's all, I really have something I need to do." Snape eyed him with a mixture of both concern and curiosity on his face before nodding.

"Very well," Snape sighed, leaning over to pick up the essays lying on his desk. "I mean it though, Harry. If you need to talk, I am here."

"I know you are," Harry smiled. "Thanks," he said softly before bidding farewell and leaving the room.

Having already warned Ron and Hermione of his plans Harry wasn't worried about them missing him. Arriving at the room, Harry was pleased to see a table full of snacks and a few extra books on the Disillusionment Charm. He quickly placed his bag down beside the door and stepped forward, picking up one of the books to flick through.

In the end, Harry didn't leave the room until eight o'clock when Ron and Hermione came to find him sitting on a sofa, completely frustrated.

"Not going so well, then?" Ron asked, dropping down beside him.

"No," Harry admitted.

"Well, did you really expect to manage it on your first night?" Hermione asked gently as she picked up one of the books Harry had been using. "I doubt even a seventh year could learn this charm in a day, Harry. You've still got two weeks, don't worry about it so much."

"I guess you're right," Harry said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Hell, that was my thoughts before I started, too. It's just so frustrating, constantly attempting and failing something."

"I know," Hermione said sympathetically. "Believe me, I know."

Nothing much happened until Harry's last class on Friday. Snape had just told them they were making the Strengthening Potion and as Harry was busy preparing his ingredients he didn't notice that anyone had entered the class until Snape called his name. Frowning a little, Harry dropped the ingredient he was skinning and stepped up to the front of the class to see Colin Creevey, a fellow Gryffindor in Ginny's year, standing nervously beside Snape.

"It seems you're wanted elsewhere," Snape told him, almost looking like he was trying to hide a smile. "All the Champions are required."

"What is it for?" Harry asked curiously.

"An interview, I think," Colin told him brightly. Harry had to work hard to suppress a groan.

"May I go, sir?" Harry asked reluctantly. Yes, Snape was definitely enjoying this too much.

"You may," the Potions Master replied with a hint of amusement. Harry strolled back to his Potion supplies and hastily packed everything up, murmuring a quick, "explain later," to Ron before he followed Colin out of the classroom.

When they finally arrived at the designated classroom Harry was relieved to finally be free from Colin; the third-year was so energetic and exited about it all – he couldn't seem to understand just how much Harry detested the whole thing.

When Harry entered it was to see Ludo Bagman, Olivander the wand-maker, Dumbledore and the Daily Prophet reporter, Rita Skeeter all standing together whilst Cedric, Fleur and Viktor stood together looking faintly annoyed while a photographer peered at them through his camera.

"Ah, you're here!" Ludo said brightly as he noticed Harry. "Come on, now, over here. This lovely chap here is going be taking pictures of you. Group first, am I right?" Ludo aimed the last question at the photographer, who nodded. Harry soon found himself pushed over to stand beside Fleur as a bright light flashed in their faces. He _really_ didn't know how he managed to keep his irritation in check throughout the whole process; the photographer kept eyeing up his hair as though wishing to move it and photograph his scar.

After the photo shoot, Olivander took each of their wands in turn for a quick evaluation, but Harry didn't bother paying too much attention to this. He was too busy keeping his eye on Rita Skeeter who had a hungry look in her eyes whilst what Harry recognised to be a Quick Quotes Quill wrote in the notebook hovering beside her.

Almost as soon as Olivander had declared each wand in good condition Rita ambled over to Harry and tried to pull him away for a private interview (which she offered to no-one else). Harry had sensed this coming and bit his tongue to keep his irritation in check while he repeatedly declined the offer, though it did no good. In the end, Rita didn't leave him be until Fleur, Cedric and Viktor all sided with him. As soon as the disappointed reporter was gone Harry turned round to thank them repeatedly for saving him from what would only have been a very large headache.

After the meeting Harry and Fleur had left together for a walk around the grounds whilst Cedric and Viktor both left towards the library, each claming they still had research to complete. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he and Fleur exited the castle, relieved to feel the fresh air. Being confined in such a small room with such a nosy reporter had felt rather suffocating.

"She ees too stubborn for 'er own good!" Fleur said crossly as she and Harry walked slowly around the lake.

"She's just hoping for some extra money, I guess," Harry said tiredly. "An interview with the 'Boy-Who-Lived' would do wanders for her career."

"She still has no right!" Fleur said, obviously angry on Harry's behalf.

"There's no point being mad about it, Fleur," Harry told her softly. "She's always going to be like that; you've read her articles. She'll go after anything that's interesting and she'll twist it all round to give people the gossip they want to hear. All we can really do is try to avoid her."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

As the 24th of November grew nearer Harry found himself spending more and more time simply sitting outside Hogwarts beside the lake, the calm atmosphere surrounding it never failing to dampen his nerves. Everyone seemed to understand that this was Harry's way of coping with what was to come and would simply join him beside the lake, chatting for hours on end.

On the morning of the First Task Harry found himself receiving more hugs than he had in his lifetime. Hermione, Cho, Ginny, Sirius and Remus all hugged him before allowing him to leave with the other three Champions. They were all supposed to meet in a tent where Ludo Bagman would fill them in on what the Task entailed – because, obviously, he didn't know they already knew. The group of four were unnaturally quiet as they headed to the tent, each one barely speaking to each other aside from a simple greeting. Fleur looked faintly green, Cedric was pale and Viktor had lost his usual air of confidence. Harry himself was glad he had skipped breakfast for he knew he would surely have brought it back up by now if he had. The group made their way slowly into the outer edge of the Forest; obviously one of the others had been told where the tent was. If he listened hard enough he thought he could hear distant voices, but he wasn't sure if he was simply imagining it.

"Aha, you're here!" Ludo said excitedly as the four entered the large, yellow tent that had been set up. Ludo was wearing bright blue robes which, whilst still odd, were one of his more _normal_ outfits. "Okay, gentlemen and lady, gather round," Bagman waited until the four nervous students had gathered round him in a semi-circle before continuing. "Right-o, then. The task is fairly straightoward. In this bag," he held up a small bag he had hidden in his hand, "there are four models of dragons; one for each of you. I'll let you pick one out and whichever one you pick is the one you'll face, understand?" He waited until they had all nodded. "Good. Now, your actual task is to retrieve the golden egg that the dragon will be protecting. Getting yourself or any of the eggs injured or damage will result in loss of points. Now, Miss Delacour, if you will," Ludo held out the bag and Fleur nervously pulled out a small dragon with a number 'two' round it's neck. Viktor was next, retrieving a small dragon with the number 'three'. Cedric got dragon number 'one' and Harry got a vicious looking dragon with spikes on it's back with the number 'four' around it's neck. "Now that you all have your dragons," Ludo said in a hurried voice, glancing at his watch. "When the bell sounds, you go," Ludo said, looking at Cedric. "After that, each of you go in order when the bell sounds. Now, I have to dash – any questions? No? Okay. Good luck!" and with that Ludo ran out of the tent in a hurry.

* * *

Longest chapter yet, I think. It was a complete accidant, too - I lost track of the length. 

Anyhoo, I still don't have a Beta, so don't curse me for the hundreds of little mistakes that are bound to be littered throughout this chapter . Updates are going to be slowing down again; only reason I was updating so fast was because of all the time I took to post between chapters #2 and #3. I've finally caught up, though. Wish me luck in my never-ending hunt for a Beta 3

You can expect chapter 6 up sometime next week, if we're very, very lucky.

/edit/  
Updated: 5th November 07 - thanks to those who pointed out the mistake I made in the Forest XD.

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	7. The First Task

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 6

After Ludo's departure the atmosphere in the tent turned tense. Each Champion was understandably nervous about what was to come and each hated the deafening silence, but not one of them seemed able to think of anything to say to lighten the mood. Nearly five minutes after Ludo left, Harry sank down to the ground with a sigh, leaning back against the side of the tent and closing his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to calm his nerves. He could hear Fleur breathing unevenly and Cedric pacing round the tent. Viktor, like him, was sitting completely still, not making a sound.

After what felt like hours but in reality was only ten minutes, a distant bell sounded, signifying Cedric's turn to face the dragon. The pacing Harry had been listening to abruptly stopped before the footsteps headed towards the opening to the tent.  
"Cedric?" Harry called out softly, opening his eyes. Cedric turned to look at Harry questioningly, showing Harry just how nervous the Hufflepuff was. He was extremely pale with a tinge of green on his cheeks and there were tiny droplets of nervous sweat on his head. "Good luck," Harry told him as warmly as he could, forcing himself to smile.  
"Thanks, Harry," Cedric said in a somewhat croaky voice before leaving the tent. Silence arose once more, broken only by the distant commentary that Ludo Bagman was keeping up and the roars of the crowd. Harry found he couldn't pay attention, though. He was far too nervous.

After Cedric's departure time seemed to speed up, taunting Harry. Far too soon Harry was the only Champion left and when he heard the bell, he stood shakily to his feet. _Just stick to the plan and you'll be fine, kiddo,_ said a voice in his head that sounded remarkably like Sirius. Harry allowed himself a small smile as his body walked towards the enclosure with the dragons. He _could_ do this; Sirius and Remus had both helped him. If they believed he could do it, the he could. He trusted their judgement.

When Harry entered he found himself instantly deafened by the cheers from the crowd. Harry glanced around and grinned nervously before averting his gaze, feeling like he would be sick if he didn't. _I hate attention_. Harry slowly turned on the spot so he was facing his dragon. She was a Hungarian Horntail; gigantic and red with powerful wings and a tail that had sharp-looking spikes crawling all the way up it. The spikes went all the way up her back, too, ending just before her head. Her teeth were large and yellow, reminding Harry of a picture of a Dinosaur he'd seen when he was younger. The dangerous, distrusting glint in her yellow eyes was the last thing Harry noticed before he was forced to jump back and avoid the spiked tail that came swishing towards him out of nowhere.

Harry was dimly aware of shocked gasps coming from the crowd as the dragons tail came flying towards him again. After dodging the second attack, Harry pointed his wand at himself and cast the Disillusionment Charm, praying that it would work, that the dragon wouldn't simply try to smell him instead. Thankfully, as he walked around, the dragon seemed to have no idea where he was and simply turned to keep a close, protective eye on her eggs.

Satisfied that he truly was undetectable, Harry set off round the enclosure, his glittering green eyes trying to spot a golden egg buried amongst all the light-brown coloured ones. Finally he spotted it, right down at the dragons feet. Allowing himself a quiet groan, Harry inched closer to the eggs. There was no way he could get that close to her without realizing. _I need to distract her_. Feeling a sudden flash of inspiration, Harry aimed his wand to a distant spot behind the dragon and with a whispered '_avis_' a flock of small, yellow birds were conjured. The dragon instantly turned to throw flame at them, giving Harry the perfect chance to swipe up the golden egg. After quickly Disillusioning it so as not to recapture the dragons attention, Harry made sure he was a safe distance away before cancelling the charms, allowing the crowds to see him holding the golden egg.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

After receiving his score from the judges (the scores were out of ten from five different judges, Harry receiving a total of 40 points) Harry headed back to the Champions tent with Fleur, Cedric (who had a nasty burn on the side of his face) and Viktor as Ludo apparently wanted a quick word.  
"Well done, everyone!" Ludo bounced into the tent after them. "You each did marvellous! Now, just a quick overview on what's to come – the next Task is on the 24th of February, at nine-thirty in the morning. You've a nice long break to figure out what it is. To help you in this, you each have a clue. If you could all just look at your eggs, you'll see they have little hinges on them. They all open to reveal the clue. I have to go talk to Barty now, so I'll just wish you good luck figuring it out!"  
"You did brilliant, Harry," Cedric said as soon as Ludo had left. "I don't know why I didn't think of that."  
"It vaz certainly creative," Viktor nodded. Harry just shrugged.  
"I wish I'd been able to watch you lot," Harry said a little wistfully.  
"Don't worry, 'Arry," Fleur told him with one of her gentle smiles. "We can all trade stories some time, can't we?" The others all nodded.  
"You better go, Harry," Cedric told him with a small grin as he pushed Harry out of the tent. "I think Mr Black and Mr Lupin want to talk."

Cedric was right. Harry had barely gone ten steps from the tent when he was tackled by a large black dog, pinning him down and licking his face. Harry rolled his eyes as he laughed and pushed the dog off him where it transformed into a human with a small _pop_.  
"You were brilliant!" Sirius told him proudly as he grabbed Harry in a one-armed embrace before allowing Remus to do the same.  
"You were amazing, cub," Remus told him softly with a proud smile as he released him. Hermione, Cho, Ginny and Ron all turned up next, each of the girls giving Harry a tight hug. From the looks on their faces Harry could only guess at how nervous they had been for him and the other Champions.  
"Cedric's still in the tent, Cho," Harry softly told the Ravenclaw who smiled her thanks before rushing anxiously off to see her boyfriend. Turning back to his friends Harry noticed there were marks on Hermiones face where she had dug her nails into her skin. "How bad was it to watch?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"It was scary," Ginny admitted in a soft voice. "Fleur and Cedric came so close to being burned and then when you came out…"  
"You really should have more faith in me, you know," Harry told them with a grin, causing Sirius and Ron to snort.  
"Come on, kiddo," Sirius said, steering Harry by the shoulder. "Let's get you back to the castle."

The group set off noisily with Ron and Ginny trying to talk over one another, each wanting to talk to Harry about different aspects of the Tournament. Whilst this seemed to amuse Sirius and Remus, it was highly irritating to both Harry and Hermione who endured this bickering day in, day out.  
"Would you two please just _stop_?" Harry finally demanded, turning to face the two. "That Task was_ bloody_ nerve-wracking, and now I've got you two bickering like a cat and mouse? Is it that bloody hard to get a little peace around here?" With that said, Harry stormed off to the castle, leaving the rest of the group behind. As he neared the castle entrance, though, he slowed down his pace and gazed thoughtfully over to the lake. _Just for a bit, until I calm down_. Rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, Harry wandered over to the lake and lay on his stomach, staring out at it. Now that he was alone feelings of guilt were starting to rise in him. _I shouldn't have snapped at them like that… it's not their fault I haven't slept much lately. Maybe it's high time I listen to Hermione's – and Sirius' and Remus' for that matter – advice._ When Harry heard distant voices he instantly got up, not wanting to be interrupted. All he wanted was an hour to himself, to sit and think… to get his temper under control before he lashed out at someone.

Harry cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself again as he wandered through the castle, trying to find a place to relax. He instantly ruled out the kitchens and Room of Requirement, knowing that those would be the first two places his friends checked if they went looking for him. After nearly half an hour of walking he finally settled on the Astronomy Tower; you could get fresh air at the top and people rarely visited that area outside of class so it was bound to be deserted.

By the time he reached the top of the tower, Harry could feel his charm wearing off. Whilst not completely visible, he wasn't completely _invisible_ either. He was like a ghost minus the white-ish colour. Smiling in satisfaction, Harry slowly sat down on the ground, not minding the fact that it was hard and uncomfortable, leaning against the wall of the tower. It was barely past three in the afternoon and the sun was out, albeit not as warm as it would've been only last month. A slight breeze was in the air, tickling Harry's skin in a soothing manner. Harry slowly relaxed as random thoughts drifted lazily through his mind, allowing him to think of something other than dragons for the first time in weeks. He had pushed himself rather hard, he knew. He had cut back on food and sleep, had put as little effort as possible into his homework, always determined to spend his time researching and practicing. He had been constantly tired and snappy and he supposed he must have lost a little weight. The weight-loss wouldn't be too worrying if not for the fact that Harry knew he was underweight as it was; even after spending nearly a full Summer with Kreacher cooking piles of food he still hadn't gained much. Harry shook his head feeling thoroughly annoyed with himself for allowing his thoughts to drift back onto such a depressing topic. _I just want to relax_. Slowly, Harry forced all thoughts of the Tournament out of his head and he soon found himself drifting off into a dreamless slumber.

When Harry awoke it was dark outside. _Oops. Didn't mean to stay out this long_. Harry was about to stand groggily up when he noticed it. A small voice coming from down at his feet.  
"Hey, Sals," Harry smiled softly, wiping the sleep from his eyes before reaching down to pick his little snake up. "How long've you been there?"  
"A few hours, now," Sally told him, curling tightly around his wrist. "I was keeping guard. I didn't want the bad snakes to hurt you."  
"Bad snakes?" Harry asked, confused. Then it dawned on him. "Ah, right. The Slytherins."  
"Yes, Sally overheard the scrawny blond one talking about hurting Master Harry."  
"Stop calling me 'Master', Sals," Harry scolded his snake lightly, standing up and blinking as he felt a little light headed. "I've told you before. We're _friends_. Now, what do you say we go to the Marauder Quarters? I don't think I can face the whole of Gryffindor House tonight."

When Harry entered the Marauder Quarters he instantly found himself in a tight embrace.  
"Where the hell have you been?" Sirius asked in a strained voice when he finally let Harry go. Having apparently heard Sirius' voice, Remus came padding into the room.  
"Harry!" Remus said, relief evident on his face.  
"Err… what's going on?" Harry asked nervously.  
"We've been looking all over for you, that's what's going on!" Sirius scolded him. "You rush off from us and then we hear Malfoy and his cronies talking about hexing the life out of you and _then_ we can't find you for five-bloody-hours."  
"Didn't you use the – ah…" Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the rolled-up Marauders map. "Sorry," Harry told them sincerely, wincing slightly at the thought of having caused them so much worry. "I only meant to get away for an hour or so."  
"Where were you?" Remus repeated Sirius' earlier question, albeit in a much calmer tone of voice.  
"Astronomy tower," Harry said softly, heading over to sit down in front of the fire with Sally. "I just wanted some time to myself. I didn't expect it to be so relaxing, though… guess I should thank Sally, without her I'd still be sleeping."  
"I'm not surprised," Remus said lightly, sitting himself down beside Harry and hooking an arm around the tired teen. "You've been worryingly tired lately. If it got much worse we were planning to talk to you about it."  
"I had bigger things to worry about than how much sleep I got," Harry shrugged.  
"Don't say that," Sirius had apparently managed to calm down and he copied Remus, sitting down on Harry's other side. "You need sleep, Harry. Nothing is more important than sleep and food. Your body can't function without them."  
"I know, but - "  
"No buts, kiddo," Sirius said in a gentle yet firm voice. "I _know_ you were worried and stressed out. I _know_ you just wanted to be prepared, but if it gets this bad again I'll force-feed you Sleeping Draughts myself, you got that?"  
"Yes, _sir_," Harry said, rolling his eyes. Sirius looked like he was going to say something but he visibly stopped himself.  
"Come on, cub," Remus said finally, standing up before he and Sirius helped a still rather tired Harry to his feet. "I think it's time you got some well-deserved rest."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry didn't wake up until noon the next day leaving him to fly hurriedly into the 'common room' of the Marauder Quarters.  
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Harry demanded accusingly.  
"We thought you could do with the extra rest," Remus told him softly. "Poppy agreed, so no-one can give you detention for missing classes."  
"Oh… okay," Harry paused slightly before heading over to the sofa Sirius and Remus were sitting on, plopping himself down between the two. From here he could see Sally snuggled comfortably in front of the fire, fast asleep and obviously enjoying the warmth. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.  
"Feeling better?" Sirius' voice cut through Harry's thoughts.  
"Less tired," Harry nodded. He sighed, staring out at the fire. "I'm sorry if I've been snappy with you," he told them softly. "I didn't really realize it until I woke up today… sleep makes a huge difference, s'like my temper's ten times easier to control now…"  
"You don't need to apologise, cub," Remus assured him in his usual gentle voice. "The kind of stress you were under would do that to anyone."  
"Still feel like I should apologise," Harry shrugged and smiled softly.  
"Apology accepted, then," Sirius said after a quick glance at Remus, obviously knowing it was the only way to make Harry feel better. "So what do you want to do today?" Sirius asked after a few moments silence.  
"I dunno," Harry shrugged. "Feels weird to have free time again."  
"I'll bet it does," Sirius scowled. After a warning glance from Remus, though, Sirius quickly plastered a smile on his face. "Why don't you go out for a walk, then? Find Viktor or Fleur; they were worried about you last night, too."  
"Okay," Harry said with a wince.

Harry didn't have to look for long. As soon as he'd exited the castle he noticed Viktor and Fleur sitting together down by the lake, deep in conversation. Glad to see them so relaxed for the first time in ages, Harry wandered over to them and plopped himself down on Fleurs other side, leaving her sandwiched between the two males.  
"'Arry!" Fleur instantly had Harry in a hug and didn't let go until Viktor gently prised her off him.  
"You gave us all a scare last night," Viktor told him in his thick, Bulgarian accent.  
"Yeah, sorry," Harry told them, nervously chewing his bottom lip. "I just needed some time to myself, and _then_ I ended up falling asleep. It was Sally who finally woke me up – I'd have been out there all night, otherwise."  
"Out where?" Fleur questioned him softly. Then her eyes lit up. "Ees Sally a girlfriend?"  
"No," Harry laughed. "Sally's my pet snake, and I was at the top of the Astronomy Tower. You should try it sometime… it's almost as peaceful as sitting by the lake." Just then Harry's stomach growled loudly, causing him to grin embarrassedly and Fleur and Krum to laugh. "I'd better go get some food, then," he told them as he stood up. "I haven't eaten anything since Wednesday night."

As Harry walked through the halls of the castle he couldn't help but be thankful classes were still on. He knew he would have to face the school eventually, but that didn't stop him dreading it. Harry let out a long sigh as he neared the kitchens. _I escape one nightmare to encounter another. I'm going to be surrounded by admirers and murderous Slytherins_. When Harry entered the kitchens through the painting of the fruit bowl he found two excited house-elves running towards him, one of which hugged him while the other scowled.  
"How did Ma – Harry do in the First Task, sir?" Kreacher asked once Dobby had let go off Harry's legs.  
"Harry did fine, I think," Harry grinned at the house-elf.  
"Is Harry Potter sir wanting anything?" Dobby asked, cutting across whatever Kreacher was about to say. _Uh-oh. I don't think they like each other_.  
"Some sandwiches would be great," Harry nodded. "I haven't eaten since Wednesday."  
"Dobby will be right on it, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said happily before running away excitedly. Barely a minute later Dobby had re-appeared with a tray full of sandwiches and a flask of pumpkin juice.  
"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said sincerely, causing the house-elf to beam.

When the bell rang to signal the end of classes, Harry decided he'd better go find Ron and Hermione. After bidding goodbye to Dobby and Kreacher, he exited the kitchens and set off. He hadn't gotten very far, however, when he found his path blocked by three familiar students.  
"Malfoy," Harry groaned. "What do you want?"  
"You think you're all clever for managing that Task," Malfoy had his eyes narrowed in hatred. "Strutting around like you own the place, skipping class - "  
"One," Harry said calmly, "I don't strut. _You_ strut, and two; I had no choice in the matter. Sirius and Remus kept me out of classes for today. Now, why don't you run along and play with your other little slithery friends?"  
"You think you could take me on?" Malfoy asked with a dangerous glint in his eye, pulling his wand out of his robes. "I've wanted to get you ever since you got that filthy Hippogriff off the hook. _Don't_ tempt me."  
"I don't have to tempt you," Harry said coldly, pulling out his own wand. "You'd hex me just for being in the same room as you. '_I've wanted to get you ever since you got that filthy Hippogriff off the hook'._ I think you'll find it didn't _need_ to get off the hook – you're the one who taunted it, and you deserved what you got for it."  
"Why you – _stupefy_!" Malfoy hissed, but Harry was ready and had a shield up before the Slytherin could blink.  
"Petrificus Totalus," Harry had attacked so fast that Malfoy hadn't stood a chance and the small blond instantly keeled over. Harry quickly brought his shield up again to deflect Crabbe and Goyles curses before hitting them both with the same body-bind he had used on Malfoy.  
"As an answer to your earlier question," Harry said coldly, "yes. I _do_ think I could take you on. I'm a better dueller than you'll ever be," and with that Harry stalked off, knowing that the particular wand movement he had used for the spell would cause it to wear off in roughly ten minutes.

Having decided to take the long route to the Great Hall so he could cool off, Harry wasn't surprised to find Malfoy had gotten there before him. Grinning at the obvious anger radiating off of the blond Slytherin, Harry dropped himself into a seat between Ron and Ginny.  
"Spill," Ginny turned to him instantly with a grin. "What'd you do to Malfoy? He came in here a couple of minutes ago moaning about you."  
"I stuck him in a body-bind," Harry shrugged, pouring himself a drink. His eyes lingered on some potatoes before he decided he really wasn't hungry – he'd had too many sandwiches. "He tried to gang up on me with Crabbe and Goyle, but I couldn't be bothered with a fight."  
"You should tell a teacher," Hermione said from Ron's other side. "Three against one? That's hardly fair."  
"Since when does Malfoy play fair?" Ron voiced what Harry was thinking. "Good on ya, mate," Ron turned to Harry and clapped him on the back. "I'd watch out, though. He was really pissed off. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to attack you again."  
"I can deal with him," Harry said indifferently.

After his friends had eaten dinner Harry followed them to Gryffindor Tower. Thankfully not many people came up to 'congratulate' him, instead opting to whisper and stare. Well, unless they happened to be the Weasley twins.  
"Harry!" a familiar voice called. Harry glanced up to see it was Fred who had spoken.  
"Good to have you back!" now it was George, Fred's twin.  
"Had us dead worried you did," back to Fred.  
"Now, have you opened your golden egg?" George asked. Harry blinked.  
"I left the egg at the Marauders Quarters," Harry said when his slow brain finally caught up with him. Actually, he'd forgotten all about the egg.  
"Not to worry," Fred grinned, reaching into his robes and pulling out the egg Harry had won.  
"Messengers Padfoot and Moony delivered this little beauty not thirty minutes ago," George wore a grin identical to Fred's.  
"They also suggested we cover our ears once you open it," Fred added, handing the egg over to Harry. Harry frowned a little as he accepted the egg, turning it over in his hands to find the small hatch.  
"Okay, you ready?" Harry grinned as he gripped the hatch.  
"Yeah!" Taking this group shout as his cue, Harry opened the egg – and dropped it. From within the little golden egg a screeching sound was reaching out, reverberating around the room. Every single Gryffindors attention was on Harry and his group of friends now, many muttering unheard protests. Forcing himself to let go of his ears, Harry knelt down and snapped the egg shut.

"Bloody hell!" came Ron's voice. "What the hell was that?"  
"Percy singing in the shower," George grinned, and Harry winced at the mental image.  
"I think it was another language," Hermione said thoughtfully, ignoring George's comment.  
"But how's he supposed to hear the clue if he can't understand it?" Ginny asked curiously.  
"He must need to translate it," Hermione shrugged. "I guess he just needs to find the right spell or something."  
"You'll help, right?" Harry pleaded with a disbelieving look on his face. He hadn't even known you could translate languages – how the _hell_ was he supposed to translate this one?  
"Of course I will," Hermione said, sounding as though she was offended at the thought of Harry thinking she wouldn't.

It took a while for everyone to calm down after the egg but roughly fifteen minutes things were back to the way they had been before.  
"So, any ideas on _what_ language that was?" Ron asked as the group finally settled into doing their homework.  
"It seems familiar," Hermione told them as she read through her Potions book. "I think I've read of a _description_ of that language before. I just can't seem to remember it."  
"I'll look in the library tomorrow, then," Harry said. "I guess I know now why there's such a long break between the Tasks. I'm going to need all the time I can get."  
"We'll figure it out, Harry," Hermione told him gently, picking up on the nervousness in his voice. "Don't worry." Harry smiled at Hermione just as a first year girl let out a shriek.  
"What the - ?" Harry turned round and rolled his eyes at the girl. "She won't hurt you," Harry told the first year as he picked up Sally. Ignoring the shocked look on the younger girl, Harry and Sally rejoined Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George at the table they'd claimed.

"So this is the famous Sally," Fred grinned.  
"We've been simply dying to meet her," George agreed.  
"Give it a rest, you two," Ginny rolled her eyes at her brothers before turning her attention to the little snake now sitting on the table. "Aww, she's gorgeous, isn't she?"  
"Yeah, she is," Harry agreed with a smile. Sally, it appeared, simply wanted to be near Harry. '_I don't want you to get hurt by the bad Snakes,'_ Sally had told him. After a few hours of working Harry finally had his homework finished and let out a large yawn.  
"I think I'll just head up to bed," Harry said as he stood up and stretched.  
"It's barely ten!" Ron protested.  
"I haven't slept much, Ron," Harry snapped, not in the mood to argue. Despite his good sleep last night, he still felt a hell of a lot more tired than he should. "Sorry," Harry mumbled to Ron, bending over to pick up Sally. "'Sides, I need to get up early for Quidditch. I'll see you guys tomorrow," and after his friends bid him goodnight, Harry headed up to his dormitory, slipping into bed without even changing.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Sally woke Harry up early the next morning, ignoring his protesting grumbles and reminding him he had a game of Quidditch to play. It took nearly five minutes of them hissing at each other before Harry finally gave in.  
"Fine, fine, you win," Harry grumbled, forcing himself to sit up. "Bloody Quidditch."

Despite not feeling particularly hungry (thanks to his habit of eating as little as possible the past few weeks) Harry forced himself to have some toast for the simple fact that he knew Sirius and Remus were worried about the weight he'd lost.

When Harry arrived at the pitch he couldn't help the surprise that rose in him; he was the first one there. He was _never_ the first one there – Cedric or Viktor always got there before him. _Must've woken up even earlier than I thought_. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, Harry finished his toast before taking off into the air, praying that a few high-speed, long laps around the pitch would wake him up. Thankfully it did. By the time he landed again to find Cedric and Viktor chatting while they waited for Cho, he felt much more energetic and relaxed.

"Feeling better?" Cedric asked as Harry walked over to stand with the two older males.  
"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.  
"You've been pretty tense for a while now," Cedric explained with a smile. "Flying's one of the few things that seem to help you."  
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I think we've all been a little tense, though."  
"Mmm," Cedric nodded, looking like he was holding himself back from saying something. Luckily, before any sort of awkward silence could arise, the trio spotted Cho hurrying towards them, shouting out apologies for being late.

The trio of seekers continued playing until lunch time where Harry bid them goodbye to go see Ron and Hermione. As he was heading back to the castle he saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle heading his way. Rolling his eyes, Harry cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself before walking past them, leaving them oblivious to his presence. As soon as they were out of sight, he removed the charm. _Thank god I learned that one_.

"Harry!" Ginny smiled as she noticed Harry, waving him over to where she, Luna, Hermione and Ron were sitting.  
"The blond boy didn't get you, then?" Luna asked as she mixed butter into her soup.  
"Malfoy was after you _again_?" Ron shot an incredulous look at Harry.  
"He might've been," Harry shrugged. "Or he might've just wanted out the castle. Either way, he didn't get me."  
"Are you sure it's safe for you to walk around on your own, then?" Hermione asked sceptically. "I think we all know that Malfoy will ignore the rules if it means he can get revenge on you."  
"I can handle Malfoy's little gang, Hermione," Harry assured her. "They haven't had the training I have, and they certainly don't have the sort of reflexes I have. Besides," he said, holding out his wrist to show a sleeping snake curled around it. "It's rather hard to escape Sally now. She wants to be able to 'protect me'."  
"And just as well," Hermione still sounded sceptical. "I hate to think what would happen if Malfoy caught you by surprise."

After spending much of lunch trying to assure Hermione that he could look after himself, Harry retreated to the grounds for a walk to clear his head. His friends had been reluctant to let him go, saying they'd seen very little of him lately, but he'd managed to persuade them to leave him be for a while with the promise that he'd skip the library tonight and spend all evening with them.

Harry wasn't too surprised to find Fleur walking around the lake and smiled warmly as he joined her, not put off at all by the sudden change in his 'time alone' plans.  
"Feels good to not be worrying about dragons, doesn't it?" Harry asked lightly.  
"Yes, eet does," Fleur agreed with a smile before frowning a little. "I fear zat ze next task will be even more difficult, though."  
"Tell me about it," Harry sighed. "How far have you gotten with your egg? All I can tell is it's another language, and even then it was Hermione who pointed it out," he grinned sheepishly.  
"Well, I am not supposed to 'elp you," Fleur said in a quiet voice, glancing around. "But I see no 'arm een giving you a clue; try researching underwater languages."  
"You didn't have to tell me, you know," Harry said, concerned in case Fleur got into trouble.  
"What can I say?" Fleur asked in a teasing voice. "I must 'ave a soft spot for you."

Fleur left pretty soon after, claiming she had to meet some of her French friends, leaving Harry to continue with his original plan of getting some time to himself. He was actually rather eager to start researching water-create languages, but due to his promise he would have to leave it until tomorrow. _Wish I could ask Remus for help. He's brilliant at researching_. Before heading back to the castle Harry returned to the lake, gazing out at it thoughtfully. _Fleur's got it figured out already; I must be really thick_. Sighing in irritation, Harry dropped down to sit on the grass, a cool breeze dancing across his face. It wasn't quite dark yet, but Harry knew it would be soon. _Underwater creatures. I've not learnt about them at all yet… unless you count the Grindylows Remus taught us about last year…  
_"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice asked, causing Harry to jump. Before he realized what he was doing, Harry had his wand out and aimed at the newcomer. "Woah, back down!"  
"Cedric," Harry gave him a strained smile, tucking his wand back into his robes. "You shouldn't sneak up on people, you know. I was expecting Malfoy or someone."  
"Right, sorry. I forgot he was after you," Cedric flashed him a concerned look before dropping down beside him. "So, what's up? You looked a million miles away."  
"Just thinking about the next Task," Harry shrugged. "You haven't figured your clue out yet, have you?" he asked, glancing at Cedric sideways.  
"Hell, no," Cedric sounded almost disbelieving. "Why? Something bothering you about it?"  
"I dunno," Harry shrugged, returning his gaze to the lake where small ripples were making their way across the blue water. "I just… I wouldn't have guessed it was a language if Hermione hadn't pointed it out… and Fleur gave me some advice earlier – I think she's got it partly figured out, at least – and I just feel kind of…" Harry trailed off, shrugging his shoulders (a habit he was starting to use far too often) helplessly. Cedric was silent for a few moments, obviously pondering his reply.  
"Well," the Hufflepuff said eventually. "If you're worried you won't figure it out, _stop_ worrying. You still have three months until the next Task – that's more than enough time to figure it out. Besides, with Hermione on your side you're bound to get a lot of help," Cedric gave him a smile. "I wouldn't have guessed it was a language, either. I was completely clueless, although I do recognise the sound from somewhere…" Cedric trailed off and shrugged at Harry. "Guess we both have a lot of researching to do, huh?"

Half an hour later just as Harry and Cedric were heading back to the castle the two bumped into Ron and Hermione.  
"We were just coming to find you," Ron explained as he and Hermione joined Harry and Cedric.  
"Worried about Malfoy again?" Harry asked, his question aimed more at Hermione. The bushy-haired Gryffindor smiled sheepishly in reply.

After dinner Harry left for Gryffindor Tower with Ron and Hermione, leaving Ginny to chat with Luna and Neville for a while longer.  
"So what took you so long, mate?" Ron asked.  
"Outside?" Harry asked, continuing when Ron nodded. "I ended up talking to Fleur for a bit then Cedric snuck up on me – I very nearly jinxed him. Oh! Hermione, remember you said you thought the noise from the egg was a language?"  
"Yes?" Hermione nodded curiously.  
"You were right," Harry smiled. "I was talking to Fleur about the egg, and she recommended we research underwater languages."  
"She already has her clue figured out?" Hermione asked, abashed.  
"Partly, at least," Harry nodded the affirmative. "The French must learn more about languages or something; Cedric's just as lost as we are."  
"So you're off to the library, then?" Ron asked, sounding disappointed.  
"Nah," Harry clapped him lightly on the back. "I told you I'd stick with you two tonight. I'll research it tomorrow." Ron looked considerably happier after that.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

True to his word, Harry waited until the following morning to start his research. He was up long before Ron and Hermione, grabbing some toast from the kitchens and going for a quick jog before collecting Sally and heading off to the library, thanking god that Madam Pince was an early riser.

Once there, Harry collected a small pile of five books from the 'Languages' section and got himself as comfortable as possible on one of the hard, wooden chairs, preparing himself for a long morning.

Harry continued reading all morning despite his growing boredom and sleeping bum. Sally had struck up a few small conversations with him before eventually falling asleep, realizing that Harry was too busy to converse. Truth be told, Harry was finding the whole thing very irritating. He had now been reading for nearly three hours and hadn't found any description even remotely similar to the sound that had escaped the egg. _Then again, did I really expect it to be easy? It was creating for seventh years to find hard… this'll be bloody impossible_. Giving into his frustrations, Harry slammed the book he was currently reading shut, snapping Sally out of her sleep.  
"Sorry, Sals," Harry apologised. _Get a grip on yourself. Anger clouds judgement. I'll get nowhere if I wallow in my irritation_. Harry sighed tiredly as he wrapped Sally around his wrist and checked out the books he was reading. _Maybe if I could just get a comfier chair… _

Harry wandered through the hallways without paying much attention to where he was going, so he was rather surprised when he found himself standing just outside the Marauder Quarters. _Might as well._ Forcing a smile onto his face, Harry entered the room.  
"Hello, Harry," Remus smiled as Harry softly closed the door behind him.  
"Sirius still sleeping?" Harry asked, dropping onto the sofa beside Remus, leaving his bag of books at his feet.  
"You have to ask?" Remus raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. "He's rarely up before noon."  
"So what brings you here then, cub?" Remus asked, draping his arm casually around Harry's shoulders.  
"I want a comfier seat," Harry grinned. At Remus' confused expression, he explained. "I've been reading in the library for the past three hours. The chairs are pretty uncomfortable there."  
"Ah, yes," Remus nodded knowingly. "I had much the same problem when I was your age. Of course, I didn't usually sit there for three consecutive hours. What were you reading?"  
"Trying to figure out what language is in the egg," Harry replied.  
"You're already researching again?" Remus sounded slightly concerned. "I thought you were going to take a break from that?"  
"I'm not planning on researching twenty-four/seven again," Harry protested. "I just reckon I need all the help I can get. This is a bigger challenge for me than the other Champions, Moony," Harry said in a soft voice. "If _they_ apparently need three months to figure this clue out, I don't want to think about how complicated it might be."  
"You shouldn't worry so much," Remus said with a sad smile. "It isn't that the judges thought the Champions would need three months; the large break between them is so that the Tasks are spread out over the year."  
"I still can't afford to take breaks," Harry said, shaking his head. "I'll just try not to be as obsessive until February comes."

Deciding to try and think about something other than the Tournament for awhile, Harry and Remus ended up chatting about a variety of random topics, the latest of which was Harry's recent discovery.  
"So how's your new ability? Managed to sense anymore magic recently?" Remus asked curiously.  
"Nah," Harry shook his head. "I haven't felt anything since it chucked me in the Hospital Wing."  
"When were you in the Hospital Wing?" a sleepy yet concerned sounding Sirius had just walked into the room, completely dressed bar the one bare foot whose sock was in Sirius' hand.  
"We were just talking about his ability to sense magic, Padfoot," Remus smiled. "Harry hasn't felt anything since it landed him in the Hospital Wing."  
"Which is normal," Sirius said, dropping himself down lightly on Harry's other side, leaving Harry sandwiched between the two adults. "It came and went with Lily for a few years, didn't it?"  
"Yes, I don't think it truly settled down until her seventh year," Remus nodded with a distant look in his eyes, as though lost in memory.

Harry didn't get to stay for long because soon after Sirius awoke, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna came hunting for him.  
"I can't believe you started without me," Hermione sounded slightly hurt as the group of five made their way back to the place Harry had been escaping.  
"I was up early, Hermione," Harry tried to reason with her. "Did you expect me to just sit on my thumbs for a few years? It's like I told Remus; I need all the help I can get. If that means researching on my own then so be it."  
"Well, I guess…" Hermione trailed off uncertainly. "Promise me you won't start stressing yourself out over this so soon. You've earned yourself a break."  
"I won't cut back on sleep if that's what you're on about," Harry flashed her a smile. "I feel no desire to be exhausted every waking minute again," he added in a playful tone.

* * *

Wow, two chapters in two days ; ). This one's up a little earlier than planned in dedicated for Amber-Chick. Hope everything goes smoothly: ) 

However, this means it could be anywhere between one to two weeks now until the next chapter as I've not yet started it - actually, I'm becoming rather fond of spending my time watching 'Sirius Black Tribute' videos on YouTube. I'll try to have it up soon, though. : )

Ooh! Before I forget; two questions.  
1. In my series, do you reckon I should have Tonks/Lupin or Tonks/Charlie as a couple? I'm undecided.  
2. Do you prefer the layout of this chapter (not having a full line between different peoples speech, etc) or have a lot of lines between? Err, I'm not too good at explaining. _Hopefully_ someone'll know what I'm on about.


	8. Another Vision

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 7

After a few nights of going to bed early, Harry felt almost normal again. He was no longer constantly tired and his temper was under much better control. Feeling a lot happier than he had in a long time, Harry made his way down to breakfast on Monday morning with a soft smile on his face. His happiness wouldn't last for long.

"Ready for Divination?" Ron asked with a roll of his eyes as he, Harry and Hermione stood up. The two bid goodbye to Hermione before starting the long trek up to the Divination tower and continuing their conversation.

"Guess so," Harry nodded. "Y'know, I wonder if she could See my future and tell me what the Second Task'll be like."

"She'll tell you you'll drown," Ron grinned. "Or that seaweed'll strangle you."

"D'you reckon the teachers know what the Tasks are?" Harry asked curiously.

"Doubt it," Ron shook his head, causing his red hair to stick up at an odd angle. "It's all secretive, isn't it? They'd be scared a teacher would help their students… I reckon it's only the ones who helped organise it who know."

"Like Sirius and Remus," Harry sighed. "Dumbledore won't let them tell me anything about it, though."

"You'd think he would," Ron said sympathetically. "I mean, we're all sticking with the theory that someone entered you to kill you, right? Wouldn't it be better if you knew what you were facing? If you hadn't known about the dragons in the First Task I dunno what you'd have done!"

"Been fried to a cook?" Harry asked with a grin. "I think this one'll be easier, though," Harry said more to himself than Ron. "No-one was supposed to know anything about the First Task, but we've got a clue for the Second. All I need to do is figure out what language it's in and how to translate it."

"I guess," Ron sounded doubtful but obviously didn't want to make Harry feel bad, so he bit his tongue.

Upon entering the Divination classroom, the two were instantly overwhelmed by the usual strong-smelling fumes that dominated the room.

"It's no wonder she's not right in the head," Ron said after coughing. "Living like this would turn anyone insane." Harry was only too inclined to agree and was on the verge of replying just as Trelawney entered the room. Not wishing to capture her attention so soon, he quickly shut his mouth.

Trelawney gave them a short talk on today's lesson, which was palm-reading, before Lavender and Parvati called her over asking for help.

"What's mine say?" Harry asked, glancing down at his palm with a bored expression on his face.

"I dunno," Ron said, sounding irritated as he flicked through his book. "Aha! You'll have four kids." Harry snorted.

"Now I've got proof this is a load of garbage," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes. "I certainly don't plan on having any kids."

"You've thought about your future already?" Ron glanced up at Harry disbelievingly.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'm just determined not to have any kids who might have to put up with the same sort of 'fame' I have."

Within twenty minutes the two had given up on palm reading and were instead doing their Transfiguration homework, though they were careful to hide it from Trelawney. It really was rather hard to concentrate on it with all the fumes, though. Sighing in frustration, Harry carefully leaned over to a nearby window and opened it a fraction, relishing in the soft breeze and _fresh_ air that brushed across his face. Settling himself back into his chair, Harry returned to his homework with slightly more concentration. It didn't really last long, though, and Harry soon found his eyes drooping.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"What's taking her so long?" Harry asked, a hint of anger tracing his otherwise empty, cold voice. The question was met with no answer, not even from his faithful pet, Nagini. Forcing himself to keep control of his emotions, Harry pushed away the irritation and regarded his surroundings impartially. The room was rather bland, nothing special. The only light source were the small, flicker candles that were floating randomly around the room, casting dark shadows over the dusty floors and peeling walls. A large mahogany desk stood against one wall, parchment spread messily over the top whilst the tips of quills could be seen poking out from the barely-closed drawers. An intricate design of elegant spirals decorated the desk, the pattern printed all over it.

Beside the desk was a large bookcase. Harry wasn't sure what type of wood it was made of – not that he cared. The bottom two shelves were completely empty, begging to be filled, whereas the top five were completely full, several books even threatening to topple out of the over-crowded space. The books were of little interest to Harry; many of them were History books whilst the rest contained Dark Magic that he had learned by the age of twenty. No, the books were there more for his follower's benefits than anything.

Harry was pulled from his inspection of the room as the sound of a large door opening caught his attention. The door creaked noisily as it opened, causing the woman entering to visibly wince.

"You're late, Bella," Harry said, a hint of his previous anger returning to darken his tone once more.

"I'm sorry, Master," Bellatrix Lestrange hurried over to him and knelt down on the dusty floor. Whilst she would normally have kissed the hem of Harry's robes, it was now impossible to do so. _Not for long. I shall have my body back by the end of the year. _

"What have you found out?" Harry asked coolly.

"He had an accomplice," Bellatrix told him nervously.

"I suspected he might," Harry nodded. "Peter could never be smart enough to pull together such a plan on his own. Have you found the identity of his accomplice?"

"Not yet, no," Bellatrix said. Noticing the trace of anger etching itself onto Harry's face, she hurried on. "We have rumours, of course. Avery and Malfoy are checking them out as we speak."

"You had better hope these rumours are correct, Bella," Harry hissed dangerously. "I will not stand for unwanted attention being brought to me."

"Of course not," Bellatrix wasted no time in agreeing.

"That is all?" Harry asked, and Bella nodded. "Go help the others. I want to know the name of his accomplice, and I want to of Peter's whereabouts. I trust you are aware of the consequences should you fail this simple task?"

"Yes, of course," Bellatrix nodded nervously before hurrying from the room.

"Well, it seems we have a bit of a problem now, doesn't it?" Harry asked softly as soon as the creaky door had shut again.

"Do you think he'll find Potter?" Nagini asked, raising her head so as to better see her Master.

"Oh, yes," Harry smiled. "I think Peter will find young Harry Potter. My doubts lie within his ability to capture the boy. I fear that if we do not stop him, he will be recaptured, and what then? Why, they shall use Veritaserum on the fool. My plans will be available to _everyone_!" Harry took a deep breath, bringing back the calm that he so needed. "I will not let that happen. As soon as we have the name of his accomplice I shall hunt them both down myself."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"Harry!" Harry opened his eyes to find himself lying on the floor with the worried faces of his classmates around him. Ron had his hand in the air, looking like he had been about to slap Harry. _Actually_, Harry thought with a wince, _he already has_. Harry's cheek was stinging, and he felt sure there would be a handprint if he looked.

"What happened?" Harry asked, accepting Rons hand to help him sit up. It was then that Harry became aware of the painful burning in his scar, which he instantly clamped his hand to, feeling slightly nauseous. _Now, why didn't I notice that before?_

"You – you fell asleep," Ron told him shakily. "Then you started having a fit or something… and you kept screaming…"

"Are you alright, dear?" Trelawney pushed her way forward to look into Harry's eyes. "Perhaps a trip to the Hospital Wing would do you good."

"Y – yes," Harry said in a croaky voice. "That's what I'll do." Turning away from the class, Harry collected his belongings. "I'll be with Padfoot and Moony," Harry whispered to Ron, before carefully descending the ladder that led to the Divination classroom.

The trip to the Marauders Quarters seemed to take an age. Harry's scar was throbbing, his stomach was far from settled and he kept feeling light-headed which resulted in him having to take regular breaks, during which he slumped tiredly against the wall.

Luckily for Harry help soon arrived. He was nearing the Great Hall when he noticed a familiar figure nearing the stairs, ready to climb them.

"Sirius!" Harry called out, thankful that his voice had gone back to normal.

"Harry?" Sirius was at his side almost instantly. "What's wrong? Why aren't you in class – are you ill?" Sirius kneeled down in front of Harry and gently pressed his hand to Harry's head, obviously trying to check his temperature.

"I just need one of those potions and I'll be fine," Harry mumbled, swatting Sirius' hand away half-heartedly. "I fell asleep in Divination and Voldemort decided to visit me in my head again."

"Ah," Sirius nodded in understanding. "Come on then, kiddo," he said, gently wrapping his arm around Harry to help support him. "Let's go pay old Moony a visit."

By the time they reached Marauder Quarters Sirius was supporting most of Harry's weight. After settling Harry comfortably down on one of the sofas Sirius wasted no time in fetching Remus. Harry had actually fallen asleep in the five minutes it took his guardians to fetch the potions, so they had to gently shake him awake to take them.

"How are you feeling, cub?" Remus asked gently after Harry had drained the two potions.

"Better," Harry smiled tiredly at him, knowing he'd be asleep within the next thirty minutes – he always slept after these potions.

"As eager as I am to learn the latest Voldemort gossip," Sirius said gently, coming over to perch on the arm of the sofa and run his hand comfortingly through Harry's hair, "I think it'd be best if you got some sleep. We'll talk about it after you wake up, okay?"

"Sure," Harry nodded, only too happy to oblige. Sleep was rather hard to fight off at the moment.

When Harry woke up a few hours later he was aware of a hand running through his hair again and muffled voices conversing with each other. His mind seemed to take forever to wake up, though, leaving him unable to understand what exactly the voices were saying. Finally, Harry let out a low groan and opened his eyes, blinking at his blurry surroundings.

"Here you go, kiddo," Sirius slipped Harry's glasses onto his face, allowing him to see. Sirius was still perched on the sofa near Harry's head whilst Remus was down at Harry's feet. "Are you feeling better? No nausea, no headache…?"

"I'm fine," Harry said softly, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Can you tell us what you saw?" Remus asked him softly.

"Yeah," Harry nodded and took a deep breath, trying to recall the jumbled images in his mind. "There's not much to say, actually," Harry frowned a little. "Peter's trying to find me, I think. Yeah. Bellatrix said it was because Peter thought he'd be doing Voldemort a favour by getting my early… Voldemort says that all it'll do is draw them unwanted attention, saying that he doesn't need me yet because a potion isn't ready…" Harry trailed off in confusion. _What does a potion have to do with me?_

"Pettigrew's after you?" Sirius asked sharply.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Er, I think Bellatrix said they couldn't find him because of his being an Animagus and the added anti-tracking charms he's placed on himself."

"I don't think we need to worry _too_ much," Remus reasoned. "Pettigrew isn't exactly known for his skills."

"All the same, it'd be best to be careful," Sirius told Harry in what Harry knew to be Sirius' 'protective voice'. "It wouldn't be too hard for him to slip in here as a rat."

"Don't worry," Harry reassured him. "I fully plan on being careful."

Thankfully Harry didn't have any more visions after the one in Divination, though he kept feeling sparks of anger (accompanied by brief pains in his scar) over the next few days. Rumours of his 'fit' had spread around Hogwarts and although he didn't mind lying to most, it meant he ended up having to explain about his 'scar visions' to Cedric, Cho, Viktor and Fleur as he absolutely refused to lie to them. That conversation had been rather nerve-wracking, as he hadn't known what to expect from them when they found out he could basically read Voldemort's mind.

_Harry was in the library with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, attempting to complete his Potion's essay. He was so absorbed in his homework that he failed to notice the four worried students that entered the library, heading directly for him, until one of the girls touched his arm gently. _

_"Cho!" Harry glanced up, surprised. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the looks on his friends' faces. _

_"What happened in Divination, Harry?" Cedric asked, sitting down in one of the chairs. Moments later Cho, Viktor and Fleur had copied the Hufflepuff's movements. Harry glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who gave him encouraging smiles, before setting down his quill with a sigh and turning to face his four older friends. _

_"Please don't interrupt me until I finnish," Harry said nervously, not meeting their eyes. "You can't tell anyone about this… I'm only telling you because I trust you…" Harry let out a deep, calming breath. _

_ "You all know about my scar, right?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "Voldemort - " he ignored the slight flinches from the friends surrounding him " – tried to kill me and the curse failed, giving me this," Harry reached up and fingered his scar gently. "I don't know how it happened – and neither does Dumbledore, apparently – but…" Harry trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it. "Somehow, the scar created a sort of… link… between Voldemort and myself," Harry chanced a glance up at his friends, and was slightly relieved to see they didn't yet have looks of horror on their faces. "I don't know if he knows about it, and I'm hoping he doesn't… basically, what the link does is it let's me – it sounds a little strange to say it like this – look into his mind. I can see what he sees, feel what he feels… almost like I'm inside him, I guess." _

_"You – you can read his mind?" Cho asked. Harry nodded, chewing his bottom lip nervously. _

_"Does eet hurt?" Fleur asked softly. Harry nodded again. _

_"We're not going to turn against you, Harry," Cedric told him in a gentler than usual voice. "It doesn't make you dark." _

_"That transparent, am I?" Harry gave them a small smile. _

_"We'll always be here for you, Harry," Cho promised, leaning in to give him a small hug. "You could never be dark – that's just too strange to imagine." _

_"Thanks, guys," Harry smiled warmly at them, relief coursing through him. They don't think I'm dark… they don't hate me. _

Harry's classes – aside from Divination, of course – were going well. Having managed to struggle on through them even whilst he was a walking zombie made it all that much easier now that he was getting enough sleep.

It was Thursday night when he learned that there was another Hogsmeade trip scheduled for that weekend.

"Brilliant!" Ron declared as soon as he'd read the notice. "I was running out of Sugar Quills!"

"Are you sure you should go, Harry?" Hermione asked nervously, bringing Ron out of his daydream to look at them in surprise.

"I could always ask Sirius or Remus to come with us," Harry shrugged. "D'you really think Peter'd be stupid enough to attack me in the middle of Hogsmeade, though?"

"Well, he's not exactly known for being clever, is he?" Hermione asked with a small smile.

"I still doubt he's _that_ thick, though," Harry grinned. "Wouldn't hurt to get those two out of the castle, though. I'm surprised Sirius hasn't snuck off already, he must be really bored here."

"They'll have found something to keep themselves occupied," Hermione assured him. "I do think it would be wise to invite them, though - just in case."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry skipped Quidditch on Saturday, opting instead to lie in and get up with Ron for a change. When Ron woke up he looked surprised to see Harry still in bed but the red-head didn't say anything about it, instead striking up a conversation about the day ahead. After dressing, the two arrived in the Common room to find Hermione and Ginny chatting in front of the fire, wrapped up in warm clothing and obviously waiting for the two boys.

"You never said if Sirius or Remus are going to come," Ron said as the group of four made their way down to the Great Hall to meet Luna.

"Well, they're going to be _in_ Hogsmeade, just on the off-chance that something _does_ happen, but they're not going to follow us around," Harry grinned.

"Hey, Luna," Ginny's voice drifted over to them and Harry realized the younger Gryffindor had ran ahead.

"Hello, Luna," Harry smiled at the blonde Ravenclaw.

"Hello," Luna smiled back dreamily. "Thank you for letting me come with you. Not many would, you know."

"Don't mention it," Hermione said with a warning glance at Ron.

Almost as soon as they reached Hogsmeade Ron dragged the group off to Honeydukes, promising to go anywhere the rest of them wanted after that. Harry could see a small smirk playing on Hermione's face at the thought, causing him to groan inwardly. _You've got no idea what you've just dragged yourself into, do you, Ron?_ Whilst Ron collected a bag of sweets fit for a herd of elephants to eat, Harry browsed the shelves and ended up buying some Chocolate Frogs and Bubble Trouble Gum.

"Where next?" Ginny asked as they exited the sweet shop.

"Pet store," Hermione said after a moment, leading them over to the shop. "I need some more food for Crookshanks. I feel bad for all the mice he keeps eating."

"I could do with some more owl treats," Harry agreed thoughtfully. Inside the shop they found animals of all types and size; large kittens, miniscule owls, purple frogs, silver rats, a wide variety of snakes and numerous creatures that Harry had never seen in his life.

"Aww, it's so cute," Ginny cooed, and Harry glanced round to see her stroking what looked to him like an extremely fluffy fur ball. Shaking his head amusedly, Harry turned back to the shelf of owl treats he was browsing, trying to find the right ones for Hedwig. Eventually he settled on a variety bag which included 'Bacon, mouse and chocolate flavoured' treats. Hedwig had once stolen a piece of chocolate right out of Harry's hand, so he had no doubt that she'd like these.

Their next stop was the traditional visit to the Shrieking Shack. Harry gazed out at it, lost in memory. _That's where I first met Sirius – in human form, anyway. Where I learned the truth about Peter… where I stunned Snape – ouch, I was sure he'd never forgive me. I nearly died there, too, _Harry let out a mental snort, _not that that's anything new. 'Nearly dying' is my speciality. _

"Harry!" Harry blinked at the hand waving in front of his face. "You were a million miles away," Ginny grinned. "C'mon, I want to visit Zonkos."

The joke shop was packed as always, making it rather hard to navigate around without stepping on people's feet. Harry sighed as he followed his friends around the shop, watching them pick things out. If it had been any other year he'd have been only too happy to pick things out with them, ready to prank Filch or the Slytherins… he didn't have time for that now, though. Harry couldn't help but feel a little jealous as Ron and Ginny bought their joke items with bright grins on their faces. _None of them know how hard my life can be. They don't understand the stress I feel, the pressure that is constantly placed on my shoulders._ Shaking himself out of it, Harry plastered a smile on his face as Ron and Ginny approached the group, ready to leave.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go, Hermione?" Harry asked as the group once again stood in the busy street.

"Not really," Hermione shook her head with a small smile. "Hogsmeade was built more for the students who aren't bookworms."

"Don't talk like that," Harry scolded her lightly. "In that case, I'd like to go to the bookstore."

"The _bookstore_?" Ron echoed, horrified.

"It'll have books that Hogwarts doesn't," Harry frowned at him. "I want to check if they have anything that'll help me with the Second Task."

As it turned out, the bookstore had _numerous_ 'Underwater Language' books that Hogwarts didn't. The clerk seemed only too happy to help 'Harry Potter' and ended up giving him five different books at half their original price.

"Remind me to drink Polyjuice Potion next time I go in there," Harry joked as they left the store.

"Remind _me_ to drink Polyjuice Potion," Ron said. "I'd go around looking like you any day if that's how I'd get treated."

"No you wouldn't," Harry muttered darkly, but he didn't stop to explain. Forcing himself to adopt a lighter tone, he asked, "where next?"

After visiting a handful of extra shops that no-one really bought anything from, the group headed to the Three Broomsticks for Butterbeer before they headed back to the castle.

"Anything useful yet?" Ron asked curiously as he glanced over at Harry.

"Nope," Harry shook his head and sighed before placing the book back in his bag. "S'hard to concentrate with all the noise in here. Guess I'll just need to read later."

"Harry," Hermione said suddenly, her gaze focused on something over his shoulder. "Don't look now, but Rita Skeeter's just arrived."

"Okay," Harry said, and a moment later he was gone.

"I really need to learn that charm," Ron said, dumfounded.

"Just carry on as normal," Harry hissed at them before remaining silent.

Nearly ten minutes later Rita still hadn't left and Harry was feeling rather bored. He let out a quiet sigh and leant back in his chair, trying to get comfortable. _Hurry up and leave, you nosy bitch_.

"Where's Harry?" Harry jumped and glanced up to see two concerned looking guardians.

"Right here," Harry said, just loud enough for them to hear. "I'm hiding from Rita," he added with a grin, not caring that they couldn't see it.

"I think she's just leaving," Remus told him with a smile. He pulled out his wand and with a soft 'Finite' Harry was once again visible.

"You lot having fun, then?" Sirius asked, dragging a chair over to the table as Remus had just sat in the last one available. "Bought anything interesting?"

"Quibbler," Harry nodded at Luna. "Joke items," he motioned to Ron and Ginny, "cat food," he gestured to Hermione, "owl treats and books," Harry pointed to his bag, "and we all bought sweets. That enough?"

"And why didn't _you_ buy any joke items?" Sirius asked, pulling a mock horrified expression.

"What have you two been doing?" Harry asked, ignoring Sirius' question. His Godfather frowned a little at that, but didn't comment.

"Just wandering around," Remus said vaguely. "Keeping an eye on things."

"Buying prank items," Sirius grinned. Harry groaned.

"Please don't try pranking Snape again," Harry begged. "He ends up taking it out on us in Potions."

"You're no fun," Sirius huffed like a five-year old.

The group headed back to the castle not long after that, leaving Sirius and Remus at the Three Broomsticks.

"I swear, Sirius is worse than Fred and George!" Ron exclaimed as they made their way up the long path.

"Tell me about it," Harry rolled his eyes. "You should see him when he's got Tonks around. Me and Moony usually have to go hide to avoid being hit by their spells."

"What do they do?" Ginny asked curiously.

" Lot's of things," Harry said, chewing his tongue as he thought back to his Summer. "Change each others hair colour, transfigure clothes into dresses, change skin colour, Tonks likes to give Sirius five foot long pink nails, give each other fairy wings, put messy makeup on each other… the list goes on," Harry grinned. 

"At least they know how to have fun," Ginny grinned back.

When they finally arrived back at the castle Harry headed over to sit by the lake while he read. Ron and Hermione had been reluctant to leave him sitting on his own, but he'd promised to use the Disillusionment Charm on himself just to keep them happy. He'd even handed them the Marauders Map so they could keep an eye on him if they wanted. After eventually satisfying them, Harry had dropped down onto the grass and gazed out at the lake for a few moments before pulling out one of his new books, _Identifying Water Languages_, and beginning to read.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Near dinner time Harry gave up with a sigh, packing his book away and heading to the Great Hall.

"Not going so good?" Hermione asked sympathetically as Harry dropped onto the seat beside her in irritation.

"There're too many languages," Harry rolled his eyes. "I never realized just how many sea creatures there are."

"A lot," Hermione nodded. "If you give me a couple of the books you bought I can help you read through them."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said with a grateful smile.

After dinner Harry headed up to Gryffindor tower with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Once there, Harry and Hermione sat down in front of the fire, each reading one of Harry's new books whilst Ron and Ginny played Wizards Chess.

Harry left for bed just before midnight, needing a break from reading. He didn't know how Hermione managed it; despite the fact she was clearly irritated at the lack of the much-needed information, she still managed to somewhat enjoy her reading. _She's my exact opposite in so many ways_, Harry thought with a grin.

Harry spent much of the next day reading with Hermione. Ginny and Ron occasionally picked up a book, but neither of them lasted long. By the time dinner arrived, though, Harry was ready to burst. After shovelling as much food as possible into his mouth as fast as he could, Harry exited the hall, telling Hermione he wanted to go for a walk before they continued their reading. She nodded understandingly and watched him as he left.

Harry couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as he entered the grounds. The sky was already dark; empty of clouds but full of stars. A bright half-moon was shining, the image reflected in the water of the lake. Harry walked slowly towards the lake, letting the peace of his surroundings calm him. Remembering his promise to be cautious, Harry pulled the Marauders Map out of his pocket and sat it in front of him on the grass so he could see if anyone decided to approach him. _This is exactly what I needed. I hate this damn Tournament, look what it's doing to me! I'm not quite cutting back on sleep yet, but I'm cutting back on other things. Less games, less time spent on homework, less time with my friends. I'm putting all of my concentration into finding out more about this damn clue – it's taking over my life! And Sirius wondered why I was only too happy to sit back and watch others do the work when he mentioned the Tournament in the Summer? Ha!_ Harry was pulled out of his thoughts as he noticed a small dot approaching him on the map in front of him. _Cedric_.

"Hey, Harry," Cedric said, sitting down beside him.

"Hullo," Harry said, sticking the map back in his pocket. "Shouldn't you be at dinner?"

"Shouldn't you?" Cedric shot back. "I saw you leaving and thought you could do with someone to talk to. What's bothering you?"

"The same thing that's bothering you," Harry replied with a small smile. "Why does everyone keep assuming I need help, or someone to talk to? I'm not the only one stressed out with this bloody Tournament."

"Not the only one, no," Cedric agreed. "I do think it'll be weighing down on you a little more, though," Cedric held up a hand when Harry opened his mouth to protest. "No, Harry. You have to know it's true. We – Viktor, Fleur and myself – we've got three years more experience than you. We've learned things you probably haven't even heard of yet. You're having to work twice as hard as the rest of us to make up for that lack of knowledge."

"Still doesn't mean it's easy for you," Harry said, realizing he wasn't going to win this argument.

"No, it doesn't," Cedric agreed with a small smile. "It's easi_er_, though. Take this for example; have you gotten any further with your egg?"

"No," Harry shook his head.

"Try looking for languages that are used by a certain creature whose name begins with the letter 'M'," Cedric told him.

"You've got it figured out?" Harry couldn't help the slight tone of amazement in his voice.

"Extra years of learning," Cedric told him. "It just took me awhile to realize I'd already learned about this language."

Slightly cheered up by Cedric and more than motivated by him, Harry soon returned to the castle to continue his research, instantly searching out all the creatures that began with 'M'. It was another half hour after that until Hermione joined him where he quietly explained (so no one around them could accuse him of cheating) what Cedric had told him.

"Begins with the letter 'M'," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Minkies, Merfolk, Murdles, Mollips… there's so many!"

"It's still narrowed it down a lot, though," Harry said brightly. "We only have to research one letter instead of twenty-six."

Still determined _not_ to fall back on his habit of cutting back on sleep, Harry forced himself to retire to bed at eleven that night. He was slightly disappointed as he slipped under the covers; he'd expected it to be so much easier now that Cedric had narrowed the search down for them. _Did I really expect to know by the end of the night, though_? Harry pondered curiously to himself. _There're still hundreds of creatures whose name's begin with 'M'. How can I expect to find the right one in only one night?_ Sighing to himself, Harry turned over so he was lying on his side and able to see the window. Even in the darkness Harry could see that light raindrops were starting to fall, creating a hypnotic _pitter-patter_ as they hit the window. Five minutes later he was sound asleep.

Harry's dreams that night had a slightly eerie quality to them as he found himself slipping in and out nightmares. One minute he was sat on the grass by the lake, staring out at the water with thoughts of water-creatures running through his head as the sun beat comfortingly down him and the next minute the Giant Squid had appeared and pulled him into the lake, where no matter how hard he tried to escape he just kept getting pulled deeper and deeper under whilst the surrounding Merfolk and Grindylows laughed at him…

Harry woke up with a gasp, his hands clutching at his throat as he struggled to get some air into his lungs. _Bloody hell, now look what the Tournament's doing to me!_ The quick glance Harry stole at his watch only served to fuel his irritation. _Two forty-five am, that's just brilliant!_ Allowing irritated thoughts to flow haphazardly through his head, Harry hit his pillow before attempting to sleep once again.

Thankfully his dreams were peaceful after that and Harry woke up with fresh motivation to figure out which language the clue was in. _Hopefully then I won't have another dream like that_. Having swallowed his whole breakfast in five minutes flat, Harry waited impatiently as Hermione ate her breakfast at a much slower pace, resisting the urge to jump up and pull her away.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked when the two were finally making their way to the library, Harry carrying the bag of books he had bought the day before. "You seem a little…" Hermione seemed to be struggling to find the right word.

"Nothing's wrong," Harry shook his head as he mentally scolded himself. _Calm down_. "I'm just… I really want to get this figured out, all right?"

"I know you do, Harry," Hermione touched his arm gently. "Try not to get obsessive about it, though."

"Me, obsessive?" Harry grinned. Hermione allowed a small smile to appear on her face before she shook her head in exasperation.

_Mollips are one of the softer sea creatures. With similar bodies to frogs, albeit much larger and pinker, they are able to settle in both land and sea… _

_ Mangakas could be described as a smaller version of the human species; Dolphin. Their languages are very similar, both species using a series of clicking noises to… _

_ Minkies; the under-water pixies. Small and humanoid in form, they have wings created from bubbles situated on their back. Whilst they are not quite as mischievous as their cousins, they do like to cause trouble underwater, one example being their ability to create whirlpools. Minkies are relatively easy to understand as their language is based on English… _

"Found anything?" Harry asked as he sat back in his chair. The two had been reading for numerous hours now and Harry still hadn't found a language that sounded remotely similar to the screeching inside the egg.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione shook her head. "I'm halfway through this book, though. We'll figure it out, don't worry."

"I'm not worried," Harry told her, perhaps a little too quickly. _Am I?_

"Maybe you should take a break," Hermione suggested gently. "A day or two with no reading. You don't like it the way I do, Harry. All you're going to do is get yourself wound up and irritated."

"I can't stop reading for a couple of days!" Harry shot back disbelievingly. "Two days of research lost. Hermione, I need to figure this out as soon as I can! Even after we have the language sussed we'll have to translate it, and _then_ I'll probably have to learn a bunch of new spells for some Task that was, I'll say it again, _created for seventh years_."

"Go for a walk just now then, at the very least," Hermione said, not the least bit taken aback by his outburst. "Just a quick ten minute walk, get some fresh air. You'll feel better for it."

"Fine," Harry sighed, knowing he'd never win an argument against Hermione.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry had to admit Hermione had a point. He ended up taking numerous walks throughout the day just to clear his head and get his emotions under control. _Who would've thought researching would quite so irritating? Boring, hell yeah. Irritating?_

After dinner, though, Harry was banned from researching by a certain redhead friend.

"It's all you've been doing lately," Ron had told him. "What ever happened to 'taking a break' after the First Task? You've been researching all day, mate, just take a break. Play Exploding Snap with Ginny, or help me with my homework." Harry had grinned at that. _Of course. Hermione's been helping me, leaving him to do his own homework. Poor bloke._

His training session with Snape that night had been a blessing. His constant walks around the school grounds _did_ help him to calm down, but to be able to force all his concentration into duelling like that… to be so focused on one task that he really, _really_ enjoyed had done wonders for his state of mind. Even his friends had noticed; stating that he looked much more cheerful and relaxed after it.

* * *

Aaaand chapter 7 is up. : )  
Hugeeeee thanks to my brand new beta; Abi. (She currently doesn't have a username on here). She rocks so much! Without her, this shockingly short chapter (barely over 6,000 words!!) would be half its current length, as I suffered severe writers block and skimmed over several parts... ew XD Thankyou Abi!!

Chapters 8 & 9 are both finished and awaiting Abi's amazing editing skills, so expect #8 up within the next two weeks (sorry for the wait, but Abi has other things to do aswell as fixing up my chapters insert tongue-smiley here). Chapter 9 is probably my favourite chapter so far... it's kinda depressing, though; the main theme is self-harm (yes, take that as a warning!!).

Anyway, R&R please - reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy, and like writing this is worthwhile, woop. : )

Ooh, && if Amber-Chick reads this, I hope everything went smoothly hun xox. I was totally thinking of you on Sunday night. : )


	9. The Imposter

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 8

"Three weeks 'til Christmas," Ron said somewhat excitedly.

"Already?" Harry glanced up from his plate to look at his fiery-haired friend. "I didn't realize it was so close…"

"You have to go to the Yule Ball, don't you, Harry?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I have to _open_ the Yule Ball," Harry rolled his eyes. "The Champions and their partners get the first dance."

"Aww, don't be like that," Ginny scolded him. "It sounds fun to me!"

"You're not the one who's never danced in his life and has no idea who to take to the Ball," Harry shot back.

"Don't be stupid!" Ron cuffed Harry on the back of his head. "Girls are lining up to go with you; I reckon anyone you asked would say yes."

"I don't want to go with just _anyone_, Ron," Harry glared. "They all want to go with the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. They'd end up staring at my scar all night, or trying to show me off to their friends," Harry shook his head in annoyance. "I'm going to go with someone I know fairly well. I just don't know who yet."

"Pick one of the girls from Gryffindor," Hermione suggested.

"Or Luna," Ron grinned.

"I really can't be bothered with her today," Harry sighed as he and Ron made their way through the corridors, heading for Divination.

"You can never be bothered with her," Ron supplied with a grin. "Just try not to fall asleep again – I swear, as soon as you were gone…"

"She over dramatised it, predicted I'd die a painful death and told you and Seamus off for laughing?"

"Pretty much," Ron nodded before laughing. "I mean, it wasn't funny that you had a vision, but the way she goes on about it…"

As soon as they reached the classroom Harry wished he had simply skived off. Throughout the whole lesson Trelawney kept shooting him odd looks as though she expected him to start thrashing around again. _Merlin save me_.

Care of Magical Creatures was next, so Harry and Ron hurried down to wait just outside the Great Hall for Hermione.

"How was Divination?" Hermione asked with an amused smile as she caught sight of their irritated expressions.

"How do you think?" Ron rolled his eyes. "She kept looking at Harry like she thought he was gonna keel over!"

"At least she didn't predict my death, though," Harry added as the three set off for Hagrid's cabin. "That was a nice change."

"Yeah, she'll be back to normal by next week, though," Ron said, always the pessimist.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Harry glanced up at Hermione's question, noticing the trace of hate that lined her words. Following her line of sight, Harry glanced over to Hagrids hut and was somewhat surprised to see none other than the famous Daily Prophet reporter, Rita Skeeter, talking to Hagrid. Well, not talking as such – it looked more like some kind of argument.

The trio quickly sped up, not wanting Hagrid to do something he'd regret.

"Ms Skeeter," Harry put on a false polite voice as they approached. "I think you'll need to come back another time," he broke off to motion around him. "Hagrid has a class to teach."

"I don't suppose you'd mind missing five minutes of class, Mr Potter?" Rita asked, completely ignoring Hagrid now. "Just for a short interview? I'm sure Hagrid here wouldn't mind." Harry wanted to cringe at the large, fake smile plastered across the reporters face.

"Yes, I would mind," Harry said, allowing his voice to go lower but still keeping the polite tone. "I rather enjoy this class, thanks."

"Yes, well," Rita looked like she wanted to scowl, but quickly covered it. "I'd best be off, now. I'm always free, should you change your mind," she flashed another smile at Harry before walking off.

"What'd she want?" Ron asked, turning to Hagrid.

"Nosy woman wan'ed information on Harry," Hagrid told them. He wasn't quite scowling, but he didn't look his usual cheerful self, either.

The next few days seemed to fly by. Classes were getting slightly more complicated as they started piecing together things that had been taught earlier in the year and the amount of homework being handed out was steadily growing. Usually Harry wouldn't have minded _too_ much about the homework, but he was starting to feel a little stressed again as he found less and less time to read through his books on languages.

It was on Friday night he finally had a breakthrough.

"Hermione!" Harry waved her over and turned the book around so she could see it. "Does this look right to you?" Hermione glanced curiously at the book and her eyes widened as she read it aloud.

"_Their language above water can be described as the sound a Banshee makes, as without the water to translate it into the melodic English that they usually speak it turns into an irritating mixture of screeching and wailing_ – Harry, that sounds just like it!"

"What time is it?" Harry asked, glancing around for a clock. _Damn, I just had to leave my watch upstairs today, didn't I? _

"It's nearly half eleven – you're not going to go _now_, are you?"

"I can't leave this 'til morning, Hermione," Harry said, using his wand to summon his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauders Map.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Half an hour later, with cloak, map and egg in hand, he was ready to go.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered softly.

"Thanks," Harry smiled. "Don't wait up," he added, glancing at the portrait hole. "I have no idea how long I'm going to be."

"Are you sure?" Hermione chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Go get some sleep. I'll be able to tell you everything tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright," Hermione nodded. Harry quickly bid goodbye before slipping under his Invisibility Cloak and, with egg and Marauders Map in hand, he exited the common room.

The corridors were eerily silent as Harry crept through the castle. Barely anyone was out – not that he'd expect students to be out, but he had expected to see teachers out roaming the corridors. _Then again, it is midnight. They'll be marking essays before going to bed_. Harry glanced down at his map curiously as he walked. Snape was sitting in front of his fire – _probably drinking whisky again._ McGonagall was sitting at her desk, presumably marking homework. Sirius was in bed whilst Remus appeared to be thinking; he was pacing around the room. He wasn't the only one, either; the little dot labelled 'Albus Dumbledore' showed the Headmaster pacing around his office. Filch was prowling the ground floor with Mrs Norris and Barty Crouch was on the second floor. _Wait – what?_ Harry brought his wand tip closer to the map to make sure he wasn't mistaking it. _What's Crouch doing here? He never comes without Bagman!_ Crouch seemed to be simply wandering around the corridors, almost as if he were lost. _What's he playing at?_ Shaking his head, Harry forced his thoughts to return to the Room of Requirements. _I'll figure out this clue and then I can find out what Crouch is doing wandering around the castle on his own at midnight. _

It took Harry another fifteen minutes to reach the room due to his slow and cautious speed. When, at last, he did reach it, he paced along the corridor three times and waited for the door to appear before entering.

In the center of the room was a large swimming pool – _I only asked for a bath_ – full of fruity-smelling large, pink bubbles. The water didn't appear too deep; it rose to perhaps just below Harry's chin. The room was tiled; large blue ones covering the walls and simple white ones littering the floor. A set of bathrobes and a large pile of fluffy, dark-blue coloured towels sat in one corner of the room. _Wow_.

Harry sat the Marauders Map down at the edge of the pool before slipping out of his pyjamas and clambering into the pool, egg in tow. The water was warm against his skin, easily ridding him of the goose bumps that had been climbing up his arms and legs beforehand. Just as Harry was about to go underwater he had an idea. _I need some parchment and a quill._ The two needed items almost instantly appeared beside the Marauders Map and Harry smiled, satisfied. Then, after checking there was nothing else he had to do, Harry threw his head underwater and opened the egg.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,_" the voice reminded Harry of a melody. It wasn't even _a_ voice; it was more like numerous voices all speaking together, all of them singing the verse as a group.

_"We cannot sing above the ground, _

_And while you're searching ponder this: _

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss, _

_An hour long you'll have to look, _

_And to recover what we took, _

_But past an hour - the prospect's black, _

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." _

Harry quickly resurfaced and took in a large breath.

"Come seek us where our voices sound," Harry repeated to himself, waddling over to the poolside so he could write it down on the blank piece of parchment. _Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground._ _What's next?_ Harry went underwater again, resurfacing to write the next three lines down. _And while you're searching ponder this: we've taken what you'll sorely miss. An hour long you'll have to look_. Again, Harry had to listen to the egg. _And to recover what we took, but past an hour – the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back. _

His work complete, Harry dried and re-dressed himself before sitting down on the cool, tiled floor, leaning his back against the wall as he read over the clue.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground," Harry read aloud to himself. "Okay, that's fairly simple. I need to find the Merfolk – I can only understand them under water. Okay – 'And while you're searching ponder this: we've taken what you'll sorely miss'. Again, easy. They're going to take something of mine… what could they take, though?" Harry closed his eyes as his brows furrowed. _An item of clothing? A… a photo? My Firebolt?_ "I'll figure that out later," Harry murmured to himself, glancing back down at the parchment. "An hour long you'll have to look – okay, time limit's an hour… 'But past an hour – the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back.' Surely that's just to scare us – they wouldn't _really_ make us lose it forever…" Harry let the song play itself over and over in his head. _Hold on_, Harry thought suddenly. _How the hell am I supposed to breathe underwater for an hour? _

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

By the time Harry left again it was nearly one am and he could feel his eyes drooping. _Just as well I can sleep in late tomorrow, then_. It was only when Harry glanced at the map and once again noticed 'Barty Crouch' wandering around the corridors that he remembered he wanted to check that out. _I guess an extra ten minutes out of bed can't hurt, then_. Sighing slightly to himself, Harry altered his course so he could check up on the Ministry worker.

As he got neared Crouch, Harry slowed his pace down ever so slightly, making sure to make no noise. _Can't let him know I'm here._ Harry frowned as he realised they were both heading to Professor Moody's office. _What does he want with Moody?_ Harry quickly extinguished his wand as he neared the man and let out a gasp when he finally saw him. _That's not Crouch – that's Moody! But…_ Harry glanced down at his map. _Moody's in his classroom!_ Harry glanced up at Crouch again to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. _No, that's Moody… but what about the map? 'The map never lies,' that's what Moony told me last year. What – Polyjuice?_ Harry glanced up again at Crouch, a gnawing fear starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. _Voldermort wanted a spy at Hogwarts – but he couldn't have Crouch… he's against all Death Eaters. Even disowned his son for being one… unless it's his son? No, he can't be – Barty Crouch Junior died in Azkaban, Sirius told me that! _

"Who's there?" Crouch called out suddenly, aiming his wand in Harry's direction. "Show yourself!" Heart thumping, Harry quietly stepped away on the off-chance Crouch decided to throw a spell at him. _Imperius curse, then? How long's he been here – and what's he done with Moody? He's still in his room… unconscious? The map wouldn't show him if he were dead…_ Harry was pulled out of his frantic thoughts as Crouch started grumbling to himself.

"Waste of time, this is," he was saying. "Oh, how I shall be rewarded, though. Must keep at it," Crouch was still talking to himself in a slightly insane way as he entered Moody's classroom and locked the door behind him, leaving a very confused Harry standing in the hallway. _That definitely wasn't Moody. He'd have been able to see through my cloak with his fake eye. Something's wrong with that one. _

After a few minutes of standing still and letting his heart calm down, Harry hurried away from the classroom, desperate to get back to Gryffindor tower. _I need to tell someone, but I need to sleep, too. First thing in the morning I'll grab Ron and Hermione and go see Sirius and Remus. They'll know what to do._

The common room was empty when Harry arrived back, not that he'd expected otherwise. He had told Hermione to go to bed and no one else stayed up this late. Not much in the mood to clamber up to his dormitory and have to ignore Ron's snores to get to sleep, Harry curled up on one of the softer chairs in front of the fire. He gazed into the dying embers as he thought back on his night. _I found out the clue, so all I have to do now is figure out how to breathe underwater. I also found out that Barty Crouch is using Polyjuice Potion or something to act as Moody – why, though? Unless he really is working for Voldermort… I just don't see Crouch as the type of guy who'd do that, though – and he's certainly strong enough to fight the Imperius. People have attempted to place him under it numerous times, and they all failed. Why, then, does he feel the need to do this?_ Harry let out a small sigh as he closed his eyes, the warmth of the fire dancing lightly across his skin and lulling him to sleep.

"Harry!"

"Gwha?" Harry jumped and groggily rubbed his eyes. "Hermione? What time's it?"

"Nearly noon," Hermione told him with a smile. "We thought you could do with a lie in – we didn't know what time you back at."

"Neither do I – you should've got me up earlier, Hermione," Harry said as he hid a yawn behind his hand. "We need to talk to Sirius and Remus."

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, a look of concern playing across his freckly features.

"Moody – Crouch, err," Harry shook his head, trying to wake himself up. "Look – _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_ – oh, good, it's still showing Moody."

"Harry, _what_ is going on?" Hermione asked nervously.

"When I was out last night," Harry explained in low tones. "I saw Barty Crouch on the map, just wandering around the school. When I was coming back – I've got the clue written down, by the way – I decided to go see what he was doing. Imagine my surprise when 'Barty Crouch' turned out to be Moody."

"Huh?" Ron looked confused.

"Polyjuice Potion," Hermione breathed. "The map never lies… why is he doing that, though?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Harry shrugged. "Which is why we need to go see Sirius and Remus."

When the trio reached the Marauder Quarters they were somewhat surprised to see both Remus _and_ Sirius both awake and playing a game of Wizards Chess.

"Hello," Remus smiled at them as Hermione shut the door softly behind her. His smile faded almost instantly at the serious looks on each of the three teen's faces. "What's wrong?"

"You said the map never lies," Harry stated more than asked. He stepped over to the table with the chess board on it and placed the map down. "I was… err, out last night - "

"And why exactly were you out?" Sirius asked.

"We figured out something with the clue, and I couldn't wait until morning," Harry explained. "_That_ doesn't matter though. I saw Barty Crouch on the map - "

"Are you sure, Harry?" Remus frowned at him.

"_Yes!_" Harry said impatiently. "Something seemed funny about it, so I went to see what he was up to…" Harry trailed off as he gazed at the map.

"What is it?" Sirius prompted gently. Harry looked up and held his godfather's gaze.

"He looked like Professor Moody – I think he was using Polyjuice Potion."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"What's taking them so long?" Harry murmured aloud, glancing at the map lying on the grass in front of him. It still showed the same scene was before: Sirius, Remus, Snape, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Barty Crouch. The six had been in the room for nearly two hours, now. "Surely it doesn't take that long to interview someone." Harry let out a long sigh as he glanced over to Hagrids cabin where he could see the large half-giant playing a game of fetch with Fang. As though Hagrid could feel Harry's gaze on him, the Care of Magical Creatures professor turned round and waved to Harry with a goofy grin. Forcing a smile onto his face, Harry waved back before returning his gaze to the water.

_I'll have to go in there_, Harry thought sullenly. _Where else could Merfolk live?_ Harry couldn't help the flutter of panic rising in his stomach at the thought. _This is almost worse than Dragons – how the hell am I supposed to breathe underwater for a whole hour?_ Harry nearly jumped as a small fish jumped out of the water, causing ripples to run across the lake. Determined not to worry about the next Task for now – _after all, I've got bigger problems – Crouch, for one, and I still need a date for the Yule Ball_ – Harry lay back on the grass, keeping his gaze focused on the sky rather than the water.

It was pure luck that caused Harry to feel something was amiss, causing him to jump up with a frown just as a spell hit where he had been lying only moments before.

"Malfoy," Harry said through clenched teeth. "I'm really not in the mood. What do you want?"

"You said he was asleep!" Goyle mouthed to Malfoy, causing Harry's frustration to climb even higher.

"Attacking people in their sleep, Malfoy? That's a new low, even for you." Malfoy had his wand up, ready to aim a spell, but he never got the chance – Harry quickly disarmed him just as the blond boy dropped down in a body lock. _I didn't do that_, Harry frowned. Glancing up, he noticed Cedric and Cho were coming towards him.

"Three against one, Malfoy?" Cho asked, her feminine tones gone as anger laced through her voice. Her wand was trained on the three Slytherins.

"Let them go," Harry said tiredly, freeing Malfoy's body and chucking the wand back. "They're not worth our attention," he said as the three Slytherins quickly made their escape.

"You should've let us get them, Harry," Cedric said, sitting down beside the lake. "That's the second time they've done that to you."

"And it won't be the last," Harry agreed, lying back down again. "Maybe next time I'll get them – I really can't be bothered today." The other two nodded, understanding it wasn't an argument they were going to win.

"Is anything wrong?" Cho asked, her voice returning to it's normal, soft self. "You missed Quidditch today."

"Ummm," Harry blinked up at the sky. "I went to bed kind of late… and Hermione didn't wake me up 'til lunch."

"What were you doing?" Cedric asked him curiously.

"Taking a bath," Harry said with a grin. "We – Hermione and I – finally figured out what language the egg's in. I couldn't wait until morning, so I snuck out at midnight."

"That's great, Harry!" Cho hugged him excitedly.

"Yeah," Harry said flatly. Cedric and Cho glanced at him. "Look, sorry for leaving so soon," Harry stood up, rolling up the map as he did so, "but I have to go - "

"What's wrong?" Cho asked him gently.

"I'll let you know when I find out," Harry murmured darkly before heading back to the castle. _I'll just go wait in the Marauder Quarters until Sirius and Remus return. Hopefully then I'll get answers. _

Upon arriving at the Marauder Quarters Harry found Sally curled in front of the fire again. _She loves that spot_. Careful not to wake the sleeping snake up, Harry settled himself down on one of the sofas and pulled his homework out of his bag. _Might as well attempt it again while I wait._

Harry was just finishing off his Potion's essay when the door opened to reveal a rather tired looking Sirius and Remus.

"Harry!" Sirius said, slightly surprised as he noticed the teen. "How long have you been there?"

"Only half an hour or so," Harry shrugged, slipping his essay back into his bag. "I was outside for the most part. What took you so long?"

"He had a lot to say," Remus said with a sigh. After glancing at Sirius, Remus headed over to the sofa and sat down beside Harry, wrapping an arm around him whilst Sirius started pacing the room, obviously going over the past few hours in his head.

"What'd he say?" Harry asked, frowning at his guardian's antics.

"Well," Remus started. "He's definitely a Death Eater - "

"_Crouch?_" Harry asked incredulously.

"Barty Crouch Junior," Remus told him. "Turns out Barty was swapped with his mother in Azkaban."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was, cub," Remus shook his head. "He's been working on Voldemort's orders ever since Pettigrew escaped – the two of them found him together."

"How long has he been acting as Professor Moody?" Harry asked nervously.

"All year," Sirius spat before Remus could answer. "Barty's been here _all_ year, and it was him who put your name in the bloody Goblet!" Harry couldn't help but flinch at the obvious anger in Sirius' voice; it reminded him so much of his Uncle. _Except it's not directed at me_.

"That's enough, Sirius," Remus warned, noticing Harry's reaction. Sirius stopped pacing to glance over and his face instantly softened at the look on Harry's face.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Sirius said, letting out a long sigh. "He just wound me up so much."

"Minerva had to threaten to turn him into a cat if he didn't calm down," Remus said with a smile.

"He put my name in the Goblet," Harry repeated slowly. "Did he say why?"

"He didn't know," Remus shook his head. "Voldemort didn't tell him many of the finer details on the off-chance he _was_ found out to be an impostor."

"Makes sense, I guess," Harry chewed his bottom lip. "Hey – what about his dad? Did he know about all this?"

"He was the one who smuggled his son out," Sirius nodded. "I expect he'll be getting interviewed shortly – and quite possibly charged, although I'm not entirely sure what with."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

After Sirius and Remus had explained the interview to Harry he hurried off to the library, knowing that Ron and Hermione also wanted answer.

"Hey, Harry," Ron glanced up from his Charms essay. "Any word from Sirius yet?"

"Yes, actually," Harry nodded and sat down opposite Ron and Hermione. "Well, for starters, it was Barty Crouch _Junior_ that was using the Polyjuice."

"But he's dead!" Ron protested.

"No, he isn't," Harry shook his head. "When he was in there his mum felt sorry for him and talked his dad into swapping the two."

"She took his place in Azkaban?" Hermione looked aghast.

"She's mental – who's crazy enough to do that?"

"I am," Harry said simply, causing Ron to snort. "I'm not kidding, Ron. If Sirius or Remus got put in there I'd happily trade places with them."

"How long has he been here, Harry?" Hermione smoothly interrupted their argument.

"All year," Harry said after one last irritated glance at Ron. "He's the one who stuck my name in the cup – acting on Voldemort's," Harry groaned inwardly as Ron flinched, "orders."

"Why, though?" Hermione asked curiously. "What was the point?"  
"We don't know," Harry shrugged helplessly. "Turns out our special Lord anticipated we might figure out Barty's identity, so he didn't bother explaining all the plans to him."

"That's a shame," Hermione said, almost sadly.

"What about the real Moody, then?" Ron asked, the Azkaban argument forgotten. "If Crouch has been here all year, where's Moody been?"

"A prisoner in his own trunk," Harry said with a scowl. "Crouch fed him nutrient potions a few times a week to keep him alive, but that was it. He was almost constantly unconscious in his trunk – he's in the Hospital Wing right now getting treated by Madam Pomfrey. She reckons he'll be fine again by Christmas."

"By _Christmas_?" Hermione asked. "But – who's going to teach us Defence?" Hermione sounded so worried that Harry couldn't help but grin. "_What_?" Hermione demanded angrily.

"Sirius," was Harry's simple answer.

"Sirius is teaching us Defence?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, seeing as it's only a few weeks 'til Christmas – and he'll have Moony helping him, too."

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Ron. Flushing slightly at the amused faces on Harry and Hermione, he added, "well, come on! Remus was the best Defence teacher we ever had – even better than Moody, though it's a close match." 

Half an hour later the trio exited the library, heading towards the Great Hall for dinner.

"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly. "Cedric and Cho were looking for you earlier – they seemed awfully worried about you."

"I guess I was acting a little secretive with them," Harry grinned. "I couldn't tell them anything until Sirius and Remus finished the interview, though."

"Well, you might want to try and find them," Hermione told him. "I suspect Dumbledore will tell us all about it at dinner tonight, but it wouldn't hurt to go assure them you're okay."

"I'll find them after dinner, then," Harry relented with a sigh.

After dinner, Dumbledore did indeed talk to the school about Moody. A few people seemed outraged that an impostor had hidden in Hogwarts under their noses, but most seemed to take it in stride. Having caught Cedric's and Cho's eyes during dinner, the three headed outside for some peace as soon as dinner was over.

"That's what you were talking about earlier, wasn't it?" Cho asked him as soon as they could no longer hear the chatter of fellow students.

"Yeah," Harry admitted softly. "When I was coming back from the Room of Requirements last night I saw Crouch on the Marauders Map and went to see what he was up to. There wasn't much I could do at the time – it was one in the morning, after all – so I had to wait until today to tell someone."

"I can't believe he's been here all year," Cedric shook his head. "I've met Moody before – that Crouch was a damn good actor."

"He'll have watched Moody for awhile before making his move," Harry shrugged. "If he'd made even one slip-up… I'm just grateful I had the map with me, or he'd _still_ be teaching us."

"He's the one you added your name to the Cup, isn't he?" Cho blurted out as though the idea had only just popped into her head – which, admittedly, it probably had.

"Yeah, he is," Harry nodded. "The start of some big plan of Voldemort's. I just wish the Ministry would believe us when we say that…"

"They'll come round," Cedric told him sympathetically. "It _is_ a rather scary thought, that _he's_ back, even if he doesn't have a proper body yet."

"_Yet_ being the operative word," Harry said in a firm voice. "He _will_ come back, and thanks to the Ministry's thick-headedness, no-one'll be prepared when he does."

"All we can do is keep trying to convince the Ministry," Cho said in a helpless sort of voice. "We can't _force_ them to believe us. Besides, if we're lucky something might go wrong with You-Know-Who's plan."

"I doubt it," Harry said, shaking his head. "Voldemort doesn't rush into things – he takes his time and makes sure he's certain everything'll work out right. Whatever plan he's got _will_ work."

Wanting to get some research done, Harry didn't stay outside too long before hurrying to the library to pick up some books. He now had little over two months to figure out how to breathe underwater for a full hour. _At least I've got the clue figured out, though. That's half the battle done_.

By eleven o'clock, Harry was desperate for sleep. Despite not getting up until noon that day, he found himself unbelievably tired, as though he had been up since the crack of dawn. After changing into his pyjamas, Harry slipped gratefully into bed. He wouldn't be grateful for long.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

It was a different room from last time; much less plain. The walls were Slytherin colours – each of them dark green with an intricate silver design patterned all over them. The floor was plain, though. It was just wood – though, thankfully, it was clean this time. Dusty floors were rather annoying.

The room contained numerous different things. A desk, not as fancy as the mahogany one in Lucius' home, sat in one corner. Two bookcases, each filled to the brim – absolutely no free space – took up a whole wall to themselves. A fire cackled on the wall opposite the bookcases, casting eerie shadows over the room. Cupboards stood to one wall, right beside the door. Harry wasn't sure what type of wood the cupboards were made from, only what was held within them. Numerous potions, of course – Harry needed to take two of them a day, after all. Whisky, for celebrations, the diaries that he was having Pettigrew write for him. The room was also littered with fancy, yet old and worn-in, sofas. It was one of these sofas that Harry sat on now, waiting once again for Bellatrix to arrive with the much-anticipated news.

Finally, at almost midnight, the door opened. It was silent this time, rather than annoying and creaky.

"I am sorry for the delay, My Lord," Bellatrix said as she bowed.

"What did you find out?" Harry asked coldly, ignoring the apology.

"It was the Potter boy who figured it out, My Lord," Bellatrix explained nervously. "He was out for a night-time wander, it seems, and he had a map - "

"I should have had Pettigrew steal it when I had the chance," Harry said, anger lining his words. "Must that boy _always_ spoil my plans?"

"We – we managed to get him out," Bellatrix said, struggling to keep her voice calm. "Barty. We smuggled him out - "

"Bring him in," Harry ordered coolly. Bellatrix nodded and hurried from the room, Barty Crouch taking her place moments later.

"I am sorry, My Lord," Barty said tonelessly as he bowed in front of Harry. "I never anticipated - "

"You should have, Barty," Harry told him coldly. "What were you thinking, wandering the castle at night? If you had stayed in your room the boy would have never noticed you."

"I was running out of Polyjuice supplies," Barty said in the same toneless voice. "I had to collect them whilst Severus was asleep – you said he wasn't to know, yet."

"You still made a foolish mistake, Barty," Harry said in a cold, soft tone. "And for that you must be punished. _Crucio!" _

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

Harry let out a groan of pain as he stirred, instantly clamping a hand to his burning scar.

"Harry?" it was the same voice that had woken him up. Groaning again, Harry forced his eyes open to see flaming red hair only to close them again instantly as he felt nauseous. "Someone go get Sirius or Remus!" the red-headed boy – what was his name? – hissed, and Harry heard someone leave the room. _Who're Sirius and Remus?_ Harry couldn't think straight through the pain that was in his scar. _My scar – it's never hurt this bad before, has it?_ Pressing his hand even more firmly against the burning pain in his head, Harry forced his eyes to stay open. He instantly heaved, but somehow managed to hold everything in – though it didn't stop everyone else jumping back nervously.

"Ron?" Harry asked weakly, the haziness in his mind lifting slightly.

"Right here, mate," a scared looking Ron sat shakily beside Harry on the bed. "What happened?"

"He found out about Barty," Harry managed to say. "He was pretty mad." Luckily for Harry his dorm mates were amongst the few who knew about his 'Voldie-Visions' they liked to term them.

The four Gryffindors sat in silence whilst they waited for Neville to return with Sirius and Remus. Harry still felt rather nauseous and knew he hadn't a hope in standing, but the pain was starting to fade away slightly.

"Harry?" it was Remus. Barely a second later Sirius had followed him into the room. Both had traces of sleepiness etched into their faces, though most had been replaced by concern – and both were still in their pyjamas.

"You're white as a sheet!" Sirius exclaimed, quickly moving towards Harry.

"He's really angry," Harry said hoarsely, wincing as a brief spark of pain shot through his scar.

"You can tell us about it later, cub," Remus told him gently. "I only brought one of the potions – drink it up and we'll take you back with us, alright?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, only too happy to oblige. Remus handed him the bubbly, green potion and Harry drowned it quickly, letting out a small sigh of relief as his stomach settled down a bit; the sense of nausea was no longer overwhelming.

"Come on then, kiddo," Sirius gently wrapped his arm around Harry to help support his weight. Remus helped by wrapping his arm around Harry's side moments later and the three set off for the Marauder Quarters.

By the time they arrived there the two adults were practically carrying Harry.

"Here you go," Remus said gently, handing Harry the second potion. Harry obediently drank it before sagging against Sirius who had a comforting arm wrapped around the teen.

"What happened, kiddo?" Sirius asked softly after Remus had settled down on Harry's other side. "You seem a little worse than usual."

"He used the Cruciatus again," Harry said, wincing slightly at the memory of the pain. "On Barty – he used it on Barty. The Death Eater's have smuggled him out of the Ministry."

"We heard," Remus admitted softly just as Harry yawned.

"Back to sleep with you, kiddo," Sirius said in a gentle yet firm voice as he picked the teen up and carried him through to the spare bedroom that had long since been claimed as Harry's own. "I'll stay through as Padfoot 'til you're asleep, alright?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's hair. Harry just nodded sleepily, his eyes already drooping shut.

It was once again near noon that Harry woke up, this time from the noise of people conversing in the next room. Harry groaned and sat up, placing his glasses on his face – _Sirius must've removed them_ – before padding softly to his bedroom door. Harry slowly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before opening the door softly and stepping out the room.

"Harry!" Sirius smiled at him, motioning for him to sit on the sofa. "We were just about to come wake you up. You've had a steady flow of visitors today, kiddo."

"I have?" Harry asked, bemused, as he sank into the sofa.

"Yes," Remus smiled and sat down beside Harry, ruffling his hair. "Ron and Hermione were the first, then Ginny – she dragged Luna along, too… then Cedric, Cho, Fleur and Viktor all came together – in fact, they were here about half an hour ago."

"Great," Harry groaned. "They all worry too much."

"And you don't think they've earned the right to worry?" Sirius asked softly. Harry didn't answer. "You've been entered into a competition that you're struggling along in, you're having to put up with visions from Voldemort and there's a large group of Death Eaters out for your blood. I think they have every right to worry about you."

"Why don't you go get changed," Remus handed Harry a pile of clothes that were probably brought there by Kreacher or Dobby, "and go find them? I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you."

"Alright," Harry sighed.

It didn't take Harry long to find Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna, all of whom were sitting – once again – in the library.

"Harry!" Ron seemed relieved to have a reason to put down his quill, causing Harry to believe Ron had, in fact, been dragged to the library against his will.

"Harry! Are you alright?" Ginny asked, concerned. "When Ron told us - "

"I'm fine," Harry said, offering her a gentle smile. "See? No pale face, no dizziness, no pain – I'm fine."

"We thought something might've happened," Ron said uncertainly. "Sirius was pretty insistent that we leave you alone."

"I had to sleep the potions off," Harry shrugged.

"Don't say it!" Ron scowled at Hermione, who had a decidedly 'I told you so' look on her face.

"I need to go find Cedric and that lot - "

"Don't leave me alone again with this lot!" Ron begged, looking horrified. Harry laughed.

"I'll be back as soon as I've convinced them all I'm fine – they worry worse than you lot, sometimes."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

After leaving the library Harry wasn't entirely sure where to go. _Come on, Harry, think. Where would those four be on a Sunday afternoon? Well – Fleur's probably out walking… I'll go find her first, then_. His mind made up, Harry headed outside.

_I'm surprised we haven't had much rain this year – the grounds are usually half-flooded by now_. Unsure of where he would find Fleur, Harry started a random walk around the grounds in the hope that he would somehow run into her. Instead, as he walked past the Quidditch pitch, he heard her tinkling laugh floating out towards him. His curiosity peaking – _Fleur's never shown an interest in Quidditch before_ – Harry entered the pitch and found himself grinning as the French girl zoomed through the air on Cho's broomstick.

"Remember, don't grip it too tightly!" Cho called up to her. "It makes it hard to turn!"

"Teaching her to fly?" Harry asked as he wandered over to stand beside Cho.

"Harry!" the Ravenclaw shrieked, surprised. "Ooh, are you alright? Sirius wouldn't let us in to see you, and Ron told us you had another Vision - "

"I know," Harry said as he calmly interrupted her. A smile tugged at his lips as he saw Cedric, Fleur and Viktor all approaching him. "I'm fine – I've got these potions that I need to take after paying those lovely little visits into his mind, and I have to sleep while they work. Sirius just didn't want to risk you lot waking me up before they were finished."

"Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" Cedric asked him, concern tinting his voice. "Apparently it was – er – worse than usual."

"It was worse than usual, yes," Harry nodded, "but do I look ill to you? Does anything about me look – err, wrong?" Harry asked, unable to think of a better word.

"No," Fleur shook her head, "you look just as 'andsome as ever," Fleur said with a teasing smile, causing the whole group to laugh.

* * *

Chapter 8 now up.  
It's unbetad... a few things have cropped up in Abi's life, and she doesn't have time for this anymore XD Deary me, I do seem to have bad luck with Betas, don't I? Guess for now I'll have to rely on my readers to point out errors - speaking of which, huge thanks to everyone who pointed out the mistake between Charlie/Bill - I'm just about to fix it.

Read and review, guys! It keeps me happy. Chapter 9 is complete, so it'll be up next week. It's chapter 10 I'm struggling to get into. XD


	10. Betrayal

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 9

* * *

**Warning:** This chapter contains self-harm. If you're uncomfortable reading this, I strongly suggest you skip this chapter.

* * *

"It's Sirius' first lesson today," Harry grinned. 

"Di' 'e 'ay wha' it' gonna be li'e?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

"Did he say what it's going to be like?" Hermione translated at Harry's blank look, giving Ron a look of disgust.

"Nah, he didn't want to talk about it much," Harry shook his head. "I don't know what he's so worried about, though. He's a brilliant teacher – I wouldn't be half as good at fighting as I am without the help he gave me during the Summer."

"Well, we have him tomorrow," Hermione said as she started buttering her toast. "Then we can see what he's like – I'm sure Harry's right, though, and he has nothing to worry about - "

" – I can see why you enjoyed it so much, Moony," Sirius grinned later that night when Harry had gone to ask how Sirius' day was.

"You obviously haven't taught any Slytherins yet, then," Harry said with a raised eyebrow.

"Or Fred and George," Remus said with a hint of amusement colouring his voice.

"Stop it!" Sirius mock scowled. "Are you trying to make me regret my choice? I'm forcing myself to enjoy it here!"

"You're right," Harry said, putting on an enthusiastic voice. "Teaching is just the best – don't you agree, Moony?"

"Of course," Remus nodded, trying desperately to hide a smile. "Teaching was one of the best things I ever had the chance to do."

"Oh shut it, you two," Sirius scowled again. "You know," he said lightly, turning to Harry. "I'd be nice to me if I were you, or I just might find a certain long essay that needs written for homework."

"You wouldn't!" Harry gasped, horrified. Sirius managed to keep a stern face for all of three seconds before he burst into laughter.

"Nah, I wouldn't," Sirius agreed as he ruffled Harry's hair.

"You'd best get back, cub," Remus said, somewhat regretfully. "It's nearly curfew."

"Okay," came Harry's slightly muffled voice as Sirius pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he grinned, walking over so Remus would give him a similar hug.

"Don't even start," Sirius warned good-naturedly. "I could always change my mind about the homework."

"No you couldn't," Harry gave Sirius an angelic smile before heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Well?" Ron asked with a grin when Harry returned.

"'Well' what?" Harry asked, hiding a grin as he gave Ron a blank look.

"Don't be a prat," Ron punched him lightly on the shoulder as Harry sat down beside him at the table. _Divination homework, great_.

"He wouldn't say," Harry shrugged, digging through his bag for his quill. "Ow!" he cried out in surprise, bringing his hand out to find blood dripping out a cut.

"How'd you manage that?" Ron asked, eyeing the cut nervously.

"Damn quill must have broken," Harry muttered, trying desperately to push away the dark memories threatening to surface. _No! I haven't… not since Summer… I can't think about that now – _

"Hello?" Ron snapped his fingers, bringing Harry back to the present. "You could go to Madam Pomfrey. It doesn't look too deep, but you've gone rather pale - "

"I'm fine," Harry said in a forced, calm voice. _I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine_.

"Get a bandage at least, then," Ron said, a trace of concern still lingering on his freckly face.

"Yeah, a bandage," Harry nodded distractedly and headed up to their dormitory where he knew he had a bag of bandages.

Closing the door softly behind him, Harry dropped onto his bed and stared at his hand with distant eyes. _Amazing how such a small thing can bring up so many powerful memories._ Already he was itching to feel the familiar sensation of a sharp quill scratching across his leg, burning away all his worries and stress. _Actually, I'm surprised I managed to hold out this long. I haven't felt this stressed in a long time._ Harry chewed his bottom lip as he moved to kneel on the floor, searching through his trunk for his bandages. Now that the memories had been brought to the surface, he didn't know how he was going to cope.

"What took you so long?" Ron asked when Harry finally came back down. "I was about to come get you – are you sure you're alright? Was the quill dirty or something? You _really_ don't look good."

"Ron's right," Hermione said gently, having now joined Ron at the table. "You look sort of sick."

"I cut my hand on a quill," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "You don't have to make such a big fuss." The two Gryffindors glanced at each other but each opted to hold their tongues, knowing Harry wouldn't appreciate their opinions. Biting his tongue in irritation, Harry plonked himself heavily down in the chair he'd been sitting in before and, after raking through his bag to find a quill that _wasn't_ broken, started on his Divination homework.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Thankfully Ron and Hermione had decided to drop the subject of the broken quill the next morning, Ron preferring to talk about their upcoming Defence lesson with Sirius.

"I mean, a Marauder teaching us - "

"You had a Marauder teaching you last year, too, Ron," Harry told his friend with an amused voice.

"Yeah, but Remus was more…"

"Sensible?" Harry suggested, grinning when Ron nodded. "He acts it a lot, yeah, but when he gets going I'd almost say he's worse than Sirius…" Harry trailed off with a shrug. "I think we can expect Sirius to try and make the lessons _fun_, but he won't go any easier on us. He still has to make sure we cover all the work." It was hard not to laugh at Rons slightly disappointed look.

Before Defence Against the Dark Arts they had to go to Charms, which seemed to take far longer than usual due to the simple fact that everyone was eager to see what Sirius' class would be like. Flitwick seemed to realize this and ended up letting them practice simpler charms like _Wingardium Leviosa_ which required little concentration.

When the time for their Defence Against the Dark Arts class arrived Harry, Ron and Hermione were the first to enter the classroom. Sirius, looking much calmer than he felt, was sitting on the desk, his legs swinging as he flicked through the book they were working from.

"Hey, Sirius," Harry said as brightly as he could considering the thoughts that kept occasionally drifting through his head, rolling his eyes as Ron dragged him to the front of the class.

"Looking forward to your first class with good old Padfoot?" Sirius asked with a sly grin, placing his book back down on the desk.

"Not especially," Harry said, picking at the hem of his robes as if they were the most interesting things in the world. "Rather dreading it, actually."

"Shut up, you," Sirius shook his head exasperatedly, ignoring the amused looks from the Gryffindors who had entered the classroom.

When everyone had entered Sirius cleared his throat, jumping off the desk to stand in front of them all.

"Hello," Sirius addressed them in a cheerful voice. "As I'm sure you all know, I'm Professor Black," Sirius visibly winced at the title, causing a few of the students to chuckle, "and I'm taking over as your teacher until Christmas – possibly longer, if problems arise. So!" Sirius clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Now that the introduction is out of the way, let's get onto the lesson – I figured we might as well do something _fun_ this period, so everyone stand," Sirius waited until everyone was standing before waving his wand, causing all the desks and chairs to zoom beside the walls, leaving a large empty space in the middle of the room. "We're going to have mock duels today," Sirius explained to them. "Everyone find a partner and try to disable them. _Don't_ use anything that could result in a trip to the Hospital Wing."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville all sort of grouped together; Harry against Ron and Hermione against Neville before swapping to Harry against Hermione and Ron against Neville. Harry won all of his duals – which, really, was only to be expected with all the extra training he'd had – whilst Hermione won all of hers bar the one with Harry. Neville was the only one who lost all his duels, so in the last one between Harry and Neville, Harry deliberately stumbled while dodging a spell to let Neville beat him. Neville looked pleased with himself, Sirius looked proud and Ron was simply struggling to hold back a grin.

At the end of the class Harry urged Ron and Hermione on to lunch whilst he held back to have a word with Sirius.

"That was great what you did, kiddo," Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair as soon as they were alone.

"It was nothing," Harry shrugged, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the, what he felt was, undeserved praise. Deciding a change of subject was in order, he said, "I don't know why you were so worried. You were brilliant! Everyone loved you."

"They loved me because I didn't make them work," Sirius grinned. "Next time it's back to normal. I just felt you all deserved a break – it's nearly Christmas, after all."

"Don't remind me," Harry rolled his eyes. At Sirius' confused look, he elaborated, "I still haven't decided on a partner for the Yule Ball."

"Ah," Sirius grinned at Harry. "Just take someone you know. Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Cho – you've got a whole group of female friends who I'm sure would be only too happy to go with you."

"I guess so," Harry said slowly. "Well – it's still a couple of weeks away. I'm sure I'll think of something."

Harry headed off too lunch soon after and nearly crashed straight into Viktor.

"Sorry," the Bulgarian said with a smile, reaching out and grabbing Harry's arm to keep him from falling.

"S'my fault," Harry shook his head. "I should've been paying attention – were you heading to the library?"

"I vas looking for you, actually," Viktor shook his head, turning round to walk with Harry.

"Okay…" Harry said slowly.

"I vanted to ask you if Hermione had a date for the Yule Ball," Viktor said in an almost nervous voice.

"Not yet," Harry shook his head. "Are you thinking of asking her?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"I vas, actually," Viktor nodded. "I just wanted to check…"

"Go ahead," Harry smiled. "I can't think of anyone better for her, actually. Should I let her know you're looking for her?"

"That vould be good," Viktor nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Harry. Could you ask her to meet me at the lake at six?"

"Will do," Harry nodded, stopping as he found himself outside the Great Hall. "You coming in?"

"I vill go to the kitchens," Viktor said, shaking his head. "Goodbye, Harry."

"What were you two talking about?" Ron asked, thankfully _not_ through a mouthful of food. "You took forever."

"This and that," Harry said off-handedly. "I ran into Viktor, too. He wants to meet you at the lake tonight at six, Hermione."

"He wants to see me?" Hermione asked, surprised. "Is something wrong – does he need help?"

"In a manner of speaking," Harry grinned. "It's nothing bad," he assured her, seeing her worried expression. "It's… err… a rather good thing, actually."

"Why can't you tell me what it is?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Becaaaauuuuussee," Harry said, dragging out the word, "it's a surprise."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

At five that evening Harry and Hermione headed outside for a walk around the lake before Hermione's meeting with Viktor, leaving Ron with Ginny and the twins. The two didn't talk much as they walked; Hermione was obviously pondering the reason for her meeting with Viktor and Harry had a dozen thoughts flying through his head at once. At ten to six the two headed towards the lake where Harry left Hermione and headed slowly back to the school, aiming for the Room of Requirements.

_I need some privacy, where no-one will find me_, Harry chanted in his head as he paced up and down the corridor three times. When the much anticipated door finally appeared he hurried in, having wanted to do this all day.

The room was rather plain; several cupboards were littered around the sterile white walls and a few comfy-looking chairs sat on a plain wooden floor. It was perfect for Harry's needs.

A quick rake through all the cupboards told Harry that the room held numerous knives, bandages, plasters, anti-infection creams and a magical concealer, plus several leaflets on proper 'wound-care'. Carefully selecting a knife from one of the cupboards, Harry moved to sit on a rather worn-out looking sofa, rolling his trouser leg up carefully. _And here I thought I was over this_, Harry thought to himself with a small scowl. He quickly pushed it aside, though; irritation at himself would do no good – and besides, he'd feel a lot better after this. Returning his attention to the leg and knife in front of him, Harry placed the knife slowly onto his leg, his hand shaking with anticipation, and pulled it sharply across. His only reaction to the pain was a sharp intake of breath and slightly watery eyes. Harry watched in fascination as the red liquid slowly bubbled up and out of the cut, slowly dripping down his leg and onto the floor. Adrenaline was already pumping through him, giving him an all-time high as he used the knife two more times.

After having made good use of the 'Anti-Infection' creams, Harry cast a Glamour Charm – _a lot more reliable than concealers that can wash off_ – on his leg and left the room, thanking God that he didn't have a limp.

"Find anything interesting?" Ron asked when Harry arrived back at the Common room. It took Harry a few moments to understand what Ron had asked before he remembered his excuse for being late back from his walk with Hermione was that he wanted to 'check a book'.

"Nah, it was a load of garbage," Harry said, shaking his head. "Finished your homework?" he asked, forcing a grin.

"Hell no," Ron rolled his eyes. "You _know_ I can't do it without Hermione's help."

"What part are you stuck at?" Harry asked, glancing over at Ron's essay curiously.

"All of it," Ron said simply, and Harry copied Rons earlier movement of rolling his eyes.

"Potions," Harry remarked, reading over the essay. "Accio Potion's essay!" Harry said, flicking his wand. Barely ten seconds later his finished essay was in his hand. "Here," Harry handed it to Ron. "Cho helped me finish this a couple of days ago, try not to copy it too much – I could swear Snape knows what we're doing."

It was half an hour later that a rather pleased looking Hermione entered the common room, a large smile on her face.

"You said yes," Harry stated after glancing at her expression.

"I did," Hermione nodded.

"Said yes to what?" Ron asked, looking between the two in confusion.

"Viktor asked her to the ball," Harry explained when it became obvious Hermione wasn't going to speak.

"You knew he was going to?" Ron asked, an unfathomable expression on his face.

"Yeeees," Harry said, not liking the look on Ron's face.

"I'm going to bed," Ron said, in a very controlled voice, picking up his things and stalking up the stairs. Luckily Hermione had already been dragged away by Ginny and hadn't noticed Ron's reaction. Frowning, Harry followed his friend up the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned, closing the door behind him.

"What's _wrong_?" Ron spun around to face Harry. "I was going to ask her! You know I…" Ron stopped, a faint blush creeping up his face. "You knew I was going to ask her – and you invited her to go with Krum!"

"Ron - "

"You could have at least _warned_ me, you know!" Ron carried on heatedly. "Then maybe I could've asked her _before_ the bloody famous seeker! That's probably the only reason she accepted, anyway – it's not like she actually knows him - "

"For your information, Ron," Harry said coldly, "Hermione and Viktor have been studying together a lot recently. I'd almost bet he knows her as well as you do – if not more. If _this_ is how you react when things don't go your way then I have to say I'm glad she's picked Viktor rather than you. At least he's selfless."

"I'm not selfish - "

"Whatever, Ron," Harry said coolly. "Good luck with your life," and with that, Harry stormed angrily from the room.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked as soon as Harry had reached the bottom of the stairs. "You look - "

"Pissed?" Harry supplied through clenched teeth. "It's nothing, Ron's just being his usual self. I'm going out for a walk to chill out."

"Is it because of Viktor?" Hermione asked softly.

"Don't worry about it, alright?" Harry offered, softening his voice. "Ron's seemed a little off for awhile, now – it's probably better that we… ah, take a break from our friendship. Go chat with Ginny, laugh about the Ball. Don't worry about us."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yes," Harry said, forcing himself to smile at her. "You've said it yourself – boys are idiots. Go discuss… er, your perfect dress, or whatever it is girls do."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said with a small laugh. Harry waited until Hermione was safely in conversation with Ginny again before heading out to the grounds, kicking at the ground moodily.

Harry let himself drop bonelessly to the ground when he reached the lake, instantly feeling the difference. It was a lot more relaxing out here without all the noisy babble that usually filled the common room. He stared out at the lake, not a single ripple wrecking the flat surface which held a perfect reflection of the star-cluttered sky above it.

"I've expected something like this for awhile, now," Harry mused aloud. He snorted. "Talking to yourself again, Harry?" he rolled his eyes. "Bloody idiot. He's been jealous ever since I got entered into the Tournament. Never mind it's bloody dangerous and someone entered me to see my _death_, oh no. All he seems to see is the adoring little fans, the constant attention…" Harry punched the ground, wincing as a stone jagged into his knuckle causing blood to flow freely down his hand. "And now, because he's jealous of _me_, he can't be happy for Hermione. Well, screw him. She deserves a nice guy like Viktor after everything she's done," Harry was glaring out at the lake now, not caring that his voice was getting louder and angrier. "I'm better off without him and his jealousy, anyway. When he's decided to be a proper friend that's when we'll try talking again."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Not much in the mood to visit his guardians, Harry didn't see either of them until his Defence class with Sirius last period on Thursday. Sirius shot him a questioning look at the beginning of the class when he noticed Ron moving to sit with Seamus and Dean, but Harry pointedly ignored him. Sirius wasn't about to let him get away so easily, though, and held Harry back after class.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Sirius asked, steering Harry over to sit on one of the many chairs littering the classroom.

"It's… nothing," Harry said hesitantly, trying and failing to keep his voice neutral.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Sirius implored with a concerned look on his face before his eyes widened. "Wait, don't answer that," he amended, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Harry rolled his eyes at the feeble attempt at a joke.

"Ron just has… some… issues he needs so sort out," Harry said through gritted teeth. Frowning, Sirius kneeled down in front of Harry so they could make eye contact. Harry sighed. "He's been jealous ever since I got put in the Tournament," Harry explained. "He hid it well, but you could still see it. He doesn't see the danger, just the fans and attention… I guess Hermione accepting Viktor's invitation to the Yule Ball was the last straw. I'm refusing to talk to him again until he gets his priorities straight."

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Sirius said, wrapping his arms round Harry. "You're right, he has some serious problems.

"Which are unlikely to disappear any time soon," Harry scowled. "He's always been pretty competitive – he's had to compete with a lot of siblings all his life… "

"That still doesn't give him the right to treat you the way he has," Sirius shook his head firmly. "You said he's been like this for awhile – why didn't you mention it?"

"I guess I just wanted to see if he could sort himself out," Harry shrugged. "I've got enough on my plate without adding a broken friendship."

"He'll come round eventually," Sirius reassured him gently. "Until then, you've got several other friends who love you."

"Yeah, I s'pose so," Harry sighed.

When Harry arrived at the Great Hall after - a quick, calming walk around the grounds – it was to see Ron sitting with Dean and Seamus; completely ignoring Hermione and Ginny who were sitting a few seats down.

"Did I miss something?" Harry asked, slipping into the empty seat beside Ginny.

"Ron's been a foul git," Ginny explained before Hermione even had the chance to open her mouth. "So we argued – Hermione and I won, of course – and now he's refusing to talk to us."

"He's lost three friends in two days?" Harry glanced at Ron, only just noticing the gloomy expression on his 'best friends'' face. "I guess it's what he deserves…"

"Don't you go feeling bad for him, Harry James Potter," Ginny scolded him. "After the way he's treated you it's _exactly_ what he deserves."

"No, it isn't," Harry shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to agree with me, Gin. I'm only soft because of… my childhood," Harry didn't miss the sympathetic spark in Ginny's eyes. "I know first-hand what it's like to be friendless."

"Are you going to make up with him?" Ginny asked, her voice somewhat softer than before.

"Not until he apologises and sorts himself out, no," Harry shook his head. "As wrong as it feels to leave him like that, he has to learn that things aren't always going to go his way, and he can't get jealous every time something happens," Harry lowered his voice so only Ginny could hear him. "I could die in this Tournament, Gin. What kind of crazy person envies me for that?"

After that, dinner was rather quiet and Harry didn't stay long. He still had to figure out how he was supposed to breathe underwater _and_ the more pressing problem of who he was going to take to the Yule Ball. He was pretty certain now, though, that he was going to take someone he knew, which currently left him with three choices: Ginny, Luna or Fleur. _Fleur willll find an older partner, though… and do I really want to be talking about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks all night? _Harry snorted to himself as he browsed the library shelves, picking out random books that looked vaguely promising. With a pile of four rather large books, Harry once again sat in the uncomfortable piece of wood that the library called a chair.

"Oh, hello." Harry jumped and looked up to see Ginny watching him with a small smile. "I thought you'd gone to the Room of Requirements again," Ginny said, dropping down into the seat opposite Harry.

"Nah," Harry shook his head. "What're you here for?"

"Research on Boggarts," Ginny pulled a piece of parchment out of her bag, soon followed by some ink and a quill, which Harry quickly averted his gaze from.

"_Nasty Buggers_ by _Alison Welder_," Harry said, returning his attention to his book.

"Huh?"

"She talks a lot about Boggarts," Harry explained. "I had to do that essay last year, too. Trust me, that book will help you a ton."

"Okay," Ginny smiled softly. "Thanks, Harry." Harry nodded, watching the redhead as she browsed the shelves for the suggested book. _She's a friend. I could ask her to the Yule Ball – she hasn't mentioned already having another date._

"I was just about to head off," Harry blurted out when Ginny had found the book and arrived back at the table. "Before I do, though… there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Alright," Ginny said, looking up at him curiously.

"Well… you know I have to open the Yule Ball, right? I need a partner, obviously. I thought it'd be better to take a friend, someone who doesn't just want to show my scar off to all her friends – someone I'll actually have fun with," Harry took a deep breath. "What I'm _trying_ to say is: would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me, as friends?"

"Go to the Yule Ball with you?" Ginny asked, her whole face brightening. "Of course I would, Harry! Third years can't go anyway unless it's with an older partner – you would be doing me a favour, too. I'd love to," Ginny grinned.

"Great," Harry smiled softly at her. "Thanks, Gin."

After the library Harry found himself walking subconsciously towards the Marauder Quarters. He was, in fact, so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even realize where he was until Remus snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face.

"Huh?" Harry blinked.

"Thinking too much again, cub?" Remus smiled at him. "Come sit down." Harry obediently sat down on his favourite sofa in the room, curling his legs up under him. "So what's on your mind?" Remus asked, settling himself onto the seat opposite Harry.

"Just… things," Harry shrugged. "I finally got a Ball partner," he added with a smile.

"I knew you would find one," Remus nodded encouragingly. "Who did you ask?"

"Ginny," Harry replied. "You and Sirius were right – I wanted to take a friend, and Ginny was the most logical answer. Besides, she just told me she couldn't have gone at all without being invited by an older student – it's good for us both."

"It is," Remus nodded. Harry frowned at the thoughtful glint in Remus' eyes, but a moment later it was gone. "So," Remus said after a few moments of silence. "I hate to depress things, but how're you holding up? Padfoot told me about Ron."

"Ginny and Hermione aren't talking to him either," Harry told Remus softly. "They had an argument with him… it makes me wonder if I'm right, leaving him alone like that. I know he has to learn he can't get moody every time something doesn't go his way, but I feel so guilty… "

"You've got nothing to feel guilty about, cub," Remus assured him, coming over to hug him gently. "You're absolutely right. Ron needs to straighten out his priorities; what's more important? Attention or friends?"

"I know," Harry sighed. "It's just… I'm not even sure I can explain it. Coming from the Dursleys, I can sort of understand why he feels the way he does - "

"And I'm sure you felt the same, once," Remus squeezed his shoulder gently. Harry didn't miss the mixture of sympathy, regret and hate that flashed in Remus' eyes at the mention of the Dursleys. _Everyone reacts so strongly when I mention their name._ "The difference is that you don't let feelings like that get in the way of friendship; you push them aside because you know better."

"But Ron wasn't brought up having to hide his emotions," Harry murmured softly to himself. "I doubt I'd be half as 'good' as I am now if I'd had the same sort of childhood as him." Harry instantly regretted saying that as he felt Remus' arm tighten significantly around his shoulder. _I really need to learn to hold my tongue; my childhood is such a sensitive topic around here._

"You did the right thing," Remus told him in a firm – almost strained - voice. "If Ron can't get past this then you have to wonder if he's really the sort of best friend you're after."

"I'm sorry," Harry said softly, twisting around to look into Remus' eyes.

"Don't be, cub. It isn't your fault you got left with _them_."

"I know everyone hates talking about it, though, but lately I seem to keep bringing it up."

"Harry, you're allowed to talk about it – nobody expects you to keep silent about it all; talking about it is one of the best ways to help yourself, after all – and you very _rarely_ talk about them."

"I don't see the need to make everyone even more upset than they already are," Harry said darkly, pulling away from Remus and standing up. "I should go do some more research. I was planning on turning in early tonight."

"Harry - " Remus started.

"Goodnight," Harry called over his shoulder before stepping into the hall and sagging against the wall.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

'_I can't believe I've gotten back into this_' was the main thought running through Harry's head when he once again found himself in the rather plain room that the Room of Requirements had created for him. He had managed to change the colours, though, to red and gold rather than the cold colours that reminded him of a hospital. Once again, for the second night in a row, Harry was sitting on a comfortable old sofa whilst he used the knife to create vivid red lines across the skin of his legs, relishing in the high buzz and break from his stress.

When he was finished and heading out the room, Harry groaned. He now had a limp – which didn't go unnoticed.

"What did you do to your leg?" was the first question out of Hermione's mouth when Harry arrived back at the Gryffindor common room. Harry rolled his eyes; _trust Hermione to notice such a tiny detail of my life._

"It's nothing," Harry brushed her off.

"Harry, you were fine barely two hours ago! Did Malfoy attack you again?"

"No," Harry said impatiently. "I'm _fine_. It's nothing."

"Harry - "

"I'm _fine_, alright?" he snapped, storming past her. _She's so nosy. Why can't she just leave me be? _Not giving Hermione the chance to follow him, Harry quickly retreated to his dormitory, changing into his pyjamas and climbing under the covers. He was suddenly rather desperate for a good sleep.

When Harry woke up again the next morning he felt rather guilty. _It's not her fault; I'd probably be pretty worried too if she randomly sustained a limp within the space of a couple of hours that were supposedly spent 'researching'._ Making up his mind to apologise to her as soon as he saw her, Harry quietly dressed so as not to wake the other boys (he had woken up rather early, again) and tiptoed down the stairs, rather surprised to see Hermione and Ginny both awake and chatting quietly.

"You're up early," Harry said in a light tone, dropping in one of the seats near the two girls.

"So are you," Ginny commented, glancing at Hermione. Harry sighed.

"Hermione, listen – I'm sorry. I just… it's really nothing, alright? I shouldn't have snapped at you, though, and for that I apologise. I'd probably be pretty worried too if you started limping."

"It's - " Hermione broke off and coughed, an almost guilty look on her face. "It's alright," she finished, offering a small smile. "I guess I was a little pushy."

"That too," Harry grinned, causing Hermione's smile to widen a little. "So why are you two up so early?"

"Just discussing the Ball," Ginny said, almost a little too quickly. Harry frowned slightly; the two of them truly did have a guilty look about them.

"Yes, it was really nice of you to ask Ginny," Hermione nodded, smiling. "She was worried she wouldn't get to go."

"And I was worried I'd have to dance with an invisible friend," Harry shrugged, still watching the two girls closely. _What are they up to?_ "This way it's good for both of us."

At half seven the three of them headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, where several students were already sitting. Harry was still curious, and almost a little apprehensive, as to what Hermione and Ginny were up to; it was never a good sign to see them both looking guilty together – though at least they usually included Harry. Well, rather, Harry and Ginny usually included Hermione, who they usually had to persuade into troublemaking. Not that it happened all that often; Fred and George played that role.

"Are you ready for Herbology?" asked Hermione, her voice cutting through Harry's thoughts.

"Hmm? Sure," Harry said, quickly finishing his now cold toast. _How long did I zone out for? _

The next day was Saturday, meaning Harry had to drag himself out of bed at six to head down to the Quidditch pitch. It wasn't until he was walking, rather zombie-like, out the castle doors that he realized it was absolutely _pouring_ down with rain outside.

"'Orrible weather, eesn't eet?" a familiar soft voice asked from just behind Harry. Having heard no one approaching, Harry jumped at the sound before turning around to face an amused Fleur. "I think zat zee others were going to ze library to do some research," Fleur carried on. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

"In _this_ weather?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"I know a rather helpful charm," Fleur smiled. "Eet ees a rather complicated version of ze Bubblehead Charm – eet ees very helpful for keeping ze bad weather away."

"Well, sure, if it can keep us dry," said Harry, eyeing the French witch sceptically. Fleur smiled at him and, after a rather complicated wand movement and a whisper of a spell Harry couldn't hear, a large opaque bubble had formed around them. "And now we walk," Fleur said with a bright smile.

The 'complicated version' of the Bubblehead Charm (Harry made a mental note to research both spells as the complicated one, at least, could keep water away – _could help me in the Second Task_) did a very good job of keeping the two dry. Water seemed to hit the opaque bubble-shield and slip down it, as though they were in a glass ball.

"I 'ave not seen you much lately, 'Arry," Fleur said in an almost sad voice as the two started their usual long journey around the school grounds. "Could it be zat you 'ave found a better girl zan me?"

"Yes," Harry grinned. "She's in my year, has beautiful long, blonde hair, deep brown eyes, loved the colour pink - "

"You wound me, 'Arry," Fleur smiled.

"I've just been busy," Harry shrugged, turning serious again. "I mean, Ron's being a prat, homework's increasing, I still need to figure out how to breathe underwater for an hour – though I reckon I have an idea for that, now. I just need to research it a bit further."

"You 'ave been busy," Fleur nodded in agreement, a small smile decorating her pretty features. "You should consider taking a break."

"When I've got the issue of the Second Task sorted, _that's_ when I'll take a break," Harry told her. "Until then, I really can't afford to. I need all the research time I can get."

"Well, at least try to stop over-taxing yourself," Fleur told him in a soft voice. "You'll end up driving yourself crazy!" The light tone and French accent of the last sentence caused Harry to laugh, lightening the mood considerably.

"I turned crazy long ago, Fleur," Harry told her with a grin. "I thought you knew that by now."

After his walk with Fleur, a miraculously dry Harry made his way towards the library. There he did indeed find Cho, Viktor and Cedric all sitting at a table, their heads bent over books. Still in a much lighter mood after his time with Fleur – _she never fails to cheer me up, does she?_ – Harry found it very hard to fight the urge to say 'Boo!' at the three concentrating students. Browsing the shelves, Harry found a few advanced Charm books and approached the table his friends were sitting at.

"Mind if I join?" Harry asked, dropping into the seat beside Viktor.

"Harry! Hello," Cho grinned at him.

"We were going to tell you we were coming here instead," Cedric started, "but we didn't know how to tell you – we couldn't exactly get into Gryffindor tower."

"It's fine," Harry brushed them off. "I ran into Fleur; we went for a walk around the grounds."

"But you're dry," Viktor frowned.

"We're wizards, remember?" Harry grinned. "She used a charm to keep the water away," he added with a shrug.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The weekend passed fairly quickly and without incident, although Harry kept getting the strange feeling that he was being watched. Whether he was walking the corridors; walking the grounds (during the occasional breaks in the rain), in the library – it didn't matter where he was, he felt like he was being watched. Putting it down to lack of the sleep that he was once again cutting back on, Harry ignored it.

Another thing Harry had to force himself to ignore was the constant disappearances of Hermione and Ginny. The two girls were almost always together now, and although they spent a lot of time with Harry there were plenty of times where they said they had 'girly stuff' to do; each time saying it with guilty eyes. The feeling unnerved Harry, but he wasn't about to worm his way into their private workings. He wasn't a nosy type of guy.

He would soon find out what the two had been up to.

Later that night, having held back all weekend, Harry gave the increasingly familiar excuse of needing to 'do some research' and headed to the Room of Requirements for what was fast becoming the easiest way of coping with his emotions.

He cut several times that night, running through all the reasons for it in his head; _Tournament. Ron. Tournament. Yule Ball. Ron. Nightmares. Homework. Bloody stress. Bloody, fucking Ron – just who does he think he is, anyway? _

It was only when Harry actually felt a tear falling down his face that he stopped to look at his leg. He had pressed too hard on the last cut; blood was flowing thickly and freely down his leg, making him feel sick. _I didn't mean to do that_. Feeling slightly dizzy, Harry summoned some bandages and anti-infection cream over to him, applying the cream first before wrapping the bandage _tightly_ around his leg. He winced at the bandage but knew it was needed if he wanted to stop himself losing too much blood. Feeling like he was being watched again, Harry raked his eyes across the room, though he was unable to see anything. Casting a Glamour Charm over the wound beneath the bandage and a Disillusionment Charm on the bandage itself – _I'll need to remember and keep fixing that up; the Disillusionment Charm fades pretty fast_ – Harry rolled his trousers bag down and stood up with a wince. _Stop it, Harry; are you trying to draw attention to yourself?_ Forcing his face to relax and trying to hide his limp the best he could, Harry had one more glance around the room before leaving.

Halfway back to the tower Harry met Hermione and Ginny, who had rather odd looks on their faces.

"What?" Harry asked apprehensively. "Has something happened?"

"We need to talk," Hermione said, in a nervous voice that was incredibly unlike her. A feeling of dread filling his stomach, Harry followed the two girls into a nearby classroom which Hermione locked behind them.

"What?" Harry repeated, his voice much less firm than before.

"First of all, you have to realize we only did this because we care," Ginny said in a shaky voice.

"Do you remember when you came back to the tower with a limp?" Hermione asked, not waiting for an answer before she pressed on. "You said it was nothing – but… you didn't say it really… well, confidently, for lack of a better word. To simplify it, I didn't believe you."

"So we talked, and we thought it must've been Malfoy or something, which would be why you weren't admitting it – boys have serious pride issues, after all," Ginny said.

"And we decided that if you couldn't be honest with us, we would have to take matters into our own hands," Hermione picked up. "You have enough on your plate without selfish cowards like Malfoy and his cronies… so we asked Dobby to keep an eye on you for us, tell us if you got into any trouble."

"You didn't," Harry said in a low hiss, narrowing his eyes.

"We were doing it for your own good, Harry!" Hermione said, her voice pleading for understanding. "Dobby came to us a few minutes ago…"

"He said you were in the Room of Requirements," Ginny said, her voice extremely shaky now. Neither of the girls seemed able to continue as Harry felt his face turn white with shock, dread and anger.

"You – had – _no -_ right," Harry said through tightly-clenched teeth. "No right," he breathed.

"We were trying to help you," Hermione said, her eyes watering. "Harry, why didn't you say anything? If everything was bothering you so much - "

"It's _my_ business and nobody else's'!" Harry shouted, finally losing his temper. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT! WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY? EVER HEARD OF THAT?" Tears were streaming down Hermione and Ginny's faces now, but Harry didn't care. Jumping up from the chair, he flicked his wand at the door and unlocked it. Sending one last glare back at his supposed 'friends' Harry stormed from the classroom.

Harry didn't care that it was nearly curfew. He didn't care that it was raining. He didn't care that he would get a detention if caught and, well, he didn't care about anything much at the moment. He stormed out angrily to the grounds, bypassing the lake and heading closer to the Forbidden Forest where a collection of large rocks sat. Sitting down on one of the rocks, Harry glared angrily at the ground. He couldn't recall _ever_ feeling this angry; not with the Dursleys, not with Malfoy, not with Ron. He had certainly never felt this betrayed. As the emotions built up inside him, Harry did the only thing he could do: he punched the rock he was sitting on. Hard. Over and over again, until his knuckles were bleeding, but he didn't care.

He wasn't a violent person – living with the Dursleys had left him hating violence with a passion – but this; punching the rock, it felt good. Every punch was releasing his anger. Every wince was proof he was still capable of feeling something other than pain and betrayal, which were the only two emotions he seemed able to feel at the moment. Before Harry knew it tears were streaming down his face, his hands hanging limply at his sides. The rain made his bloody knuckles sting, but he didn't pay much attention to that. _I've lost three of my best friends now. One through jealousy, two through betrayal. What next?_

Gradually, Harry's tears ran out and he was left kneeling on the grass with a rather empty feeling inside his stomach. Staring at the dull, cloudy sky above him with blurry eyes, Harry soon fell asleep, luckily falling sideways so his head didn't hit the rocks.

"Harry?" someone was shaking him gently, running their hand through his wet hair. _Why have I got wet hair?_

"Can you hear us?" it was a different voice this time. Harry felt his brows furrowing into a frown as he groaned.

"C'mon, kiddo," pleaded the first voice. It was gentle and encouraging. Harry winced as he opened his eyes to find the sun glaring down onto him.

"Up you get," Remus said gently as he helped Sirius pull Harry up into a sitting position.

"Can you walk?" Sirius asked in the same gentle tone.

"Y – yes," Harry croaked out. Sirius and Remus took an arm each and helped him stand up. Harry winced as he placed weight on his leg, but quickly forced himself to block out the pain. "How did you know I was out here?"

"Hermione came and found us," Remus explained in that same gentle tone. "She said you didn't go back to the Tower last night. Seemed to think it was her fault, too."

"So we got the Marauders Map and found you," Sirius finished.

"I'm sorry," Harry said softly, hanging his head guiltily. "I really didn't mean to fall asleep… I just wanted to clear my head."

"We know you didn't, kiddo," Sirius assured him gently. "We need to talk, though. It's pretty obvious that something is wrong."

"How much did Hermione tell you?" Harry asked, looking up sharply. After sharing a glance with Sirius, it was Remus who answered.

"Everything."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

By the time the three finally made it to the Marauders Quarters Harry was fully awake, a heavy feeling of dread sitting in the pit of his stomach. He could walk on his own now, but Sirius and Remus seemed rather reluctant to let go of him. _What, do they think I'd run away?_

"Down we go," Sirius said gently as he and Remus lowered Harry onto the sofa.

"What exactly did you do to your hands?" Remus asked softly.

"My hands?" Harry echoed with a frown, glancing down at them. He winced as he saw them, suddenly feeling the pain from them. "It – it's not important," Harry bit his tongue as he quickly turned his hands around at an angle to hide them from sight. "You… you wanted to talk?" Harry asked in a small voice, hating how he could feel his face paling. Remus and Sirius glanced uncertainly at each other, neither knowing exactly what to say – they'd never heard all that much about self-harming, after all. Neither seemed to want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was, either.

"Wouldn't you like to get your hands fixed up, first?" Remus asked him gently.

"No." _This'll be a difficult conversation… the sting will distract me_.

"Harry, why didn't you come to us?" Sirius asked, and he sounded so upset that Harry couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty. "You know we'll help you with _anything_. If the stress was too much, you should have said something. We could have helped you – we still can, but you need to talk to us, Harry."

"Harming yourself will just make everything harder in the long run, cub – and what if…"

"I cut too deep?" Harry supplied distantly. "I'm not suicidal, you know," he said in an almost sarcastic tone.

"We know you aren't, kiddo," Sirius said gently, sitting himself down beside Harry. "But if you're self-harming, you need help. If you can't talk to me or Moony we can find someone else you feel comfortable talking to, but you can't keep doing this to yourself. Accidents happen; one day you could cut too deeply, and what happens then?"

"We just want to help you, cub," Remus said sadly as he too came over, squeezing Harry's shoulder gently. "We know you're pretty independent after your time with the Dursleys, but there's no shame in admitting that you need help or someone to talk to."

"I've been doing it for so long, though," Harry divulged in a voice barely above a whisper. "Ever since I was seven, I think. No one ever cared before… it's not even that bad, you know." Sirius and Remus were silent, obviously hoping for Harry to open up more. Still feeling incredibly guilty about the pain he was causing his guardians, Harry decided to tell them as much as he could bear to say for the moment.

"I guess it's another thing to blame on the Dursleys," said Harry softly. "Whenever they hurt me, I could cope as long as I had something sharp… you don't know what it's like – adrenaline just pumps through you… it washes away all your stress and worries – sort of like the Imperius Curse did, actually. It's always been my way of coping – _always_. How am I supposed to just suddenly give it up? I wouldn't say I'm especially good at talking about how I feel, given I rarely got the chance to as I was growing up – how am I supposed to just suddenly start talking to you two about every single problem I get?" Harry sucked in a deep breath, forcing himself to stop talking before he got overly-emotional. As it was, his eyes were stinging.

"If you don't feel like you can talk about things, can you at least promise to come to us whenever you feel like cutting yourself again?" Sirius asked him softly after nearly two minutes of silence. "That way we could at least distract you – try to cheer you up."

"I can try," Harry said in a small voice, chewing his bottom lip nervously.

"That's all we can ask for, cub," Remus said gently, coming over to wrap a comforting arm around Harry. "I can't imagine how you're feeling right now – this is such a big secret that you've kept for so long… I'm so proud of you," Remus used his free hand to gently ruffle Harry's hair. "Instead of running away from us you're attempting to let us help. Hopefully you'll be able to talk freely at some point, because I know from experience that it can help a lot." Harry was silent as he closed his eyes, biting his cheek to keep in his tears.

_I don't deserve their praise. They don't deserve to have to put up with me… why do they care so much? Is this really what true families are supposed to be like? _

"Come on, kiddo," Sirius said eventually, wrapping a steadying arm around Harry. "Lets get you fixed up."

* * *

And chapter 9 is up. : )  
Third time lucky, yeah? I have a fab new beta, Roxy (Suspended), who is rather good at helping me fix grammatical errors. I got a bit confused with this chapter though, so forgive us if there are any errors still there - rest assured, they're completely my fault.  
Chapters 10 and 11 are both finished and waiting betaing. They'll both be up within the next two weeks, hopefully.

And yes, I know this chapter is up a little early. I'm celebrating, haha. Including the two non-published chapters, this fic now has over 72,000 words. Big achievement for me, who's longest story before this was only 30,000 words. Go me. : )


	11. A Great Christmas

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 10

Later that night after visiting the Hospital Wing (he trusted Madam Pomfrey not to tell anyone due to the Healers Code of Conduct which prevented her from sharing any private information without consent) Harry settled himself down by the lake, hoping for some peace to gather his thoughts.

Madam Pomfrey had offered to find some sort of therapist for Harry, but he had politely refused. If he was finding it hard to talk to Sirius and Remus, it would be completely impossible for him to open up to a stranger, despite claims that 'talking to someone with an un-biased point of view' could help.

There was also the unexpected loss of two of Harry's closest friends. Losing Ron had been bad enough, but Harry had now lost his three best friends from Gryffindor. Sure, he had Cho, Cedric, Viktor and Fleur, but they weren't in his classes and they couldn't hang around with him in the Gryffindor common room after curfew. They certainly couldn't help him do research for the Second Task; they had their own work to do and Cho was staying out of it due to being so close to both Harry and Cedric.

On top of that was the simple fact that Sirius and Remus knew about one of Harry's darkest secrets; the one he'd hoped no-one would ever find out. It almost felt good, in a twisted way, to know that he _could_ talk to someone about it now… at the same time, though, he couldn't help but feel angry at Hermione and Ginny for taking his one guaranteed-to-work method of coping with his emotions. _Serve them right, then, if I start snapping at people out of nowhere._ Trying to find some way to vent his frustrations without destroying his newly-healed knuckles, Harry started picking up random stoned off the ground and throwing them as hard as possible into the lake, trying to focus on the ripples that flowed outwards.

"You weren't in classes today," a soft voice made Harry jump.

"No, I wasn't," Harry agreed, glancing at Cho before returning to his task of throwing stones into the lake.

"Mind if I join?"  
"Go ahead." Cho moved to sit beside Harry, copying him and throwing rocks – though not with quite so much force – into the lake.

"Did you argue with Hermione and Ginny?"

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked, his jaw clenching.

"Rumours," Cho said softly. "Secrets don't stay secrets for long." Harry had to smile a little at that phrase, one which he himself had used umpteen times.

"I did," Harry said slowly, forcing his jaw to relax.

"Are you… are you still talking to them?"

"No." Harry said a little harsher than he'd meant to.

"I'm sorry," Cho said in a soft voice. "That's you not talking to Ron, Hermione _or_ Ginny… that's the worst luck."

"I'm glad, actually," Harry said darkly. "I'd rather learn their true colours now than when we've been best friends for 10, 20 years."

"It's really that bad?"

"Gee, I don't know," Harry said sarcastically. "Is having two of your closest friends invade your privacy and completely betray you 'really that bad'? Is having a friend who's too jealous to think about anyone else 'really that bad'? Is knowing that your guardians are going to be constantly on your case in-case you – do something that they term as _wrong_ 'really that bad'? Is being entered into a bloody Tournament that's ruling your life 'really that bad'? Is getting the occasional unwanted visits to Voldemorts' mind, which hurts like shit, by the way, 'really that bad'? Is - " Harry broke off, his hand trembling. Cho was looking at him with wide eyes, having never heard him rant like that before. "Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Harry asked, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "I just… I have a lot on my mind right now. It's probably a better idea to steer clear of anything involving my so-called friends."

"You should talk to someone, Harry," Cho told him, her soft voice full of concern. "It isn't healthy to bottle things like that up. Just the simple fact that _you_ are ranting about it proves it's really getting to you."

"Talk to people," Harry rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what I've been told by Sirius, Remus and Pomfrey. Well, I've got news for you – _talking_ isn't my thing. Bottling things up? _That's_ what I'm used to. Now, I came out here to get peace, so if you'll excuse me," Harry said coolly, standing up and walking away from Cho. He knew he should feel guilty about snapping at Cho like that, especially when she only wanted to help, but somehow he couldn't find enough energy inside himself to feel bad. _It's been a long day_. He headed towards the rocks he'd been at last night, though he promised himself he wouldn't fall asleep this time

Harry sat down on the grass beside the rocks, wincing at the blood he could see stained onto the rock.

"Scourgify," he said softly, waving his wand at the rock to clean it before settling back to lean against it. He felt oddly empty after his rant to Cho; like he was too tired to feel emotion. Gradually, as he sat there staring ahead at nothing, one emotion returned to him: guilt. _Cho only wanted to help and I went and lost my head with her. _He knew he had to apologise to Cho – one of his few friends left – but he couldn't seem to find the energy. _I'll apologise to her first chance I get tomorrow_. Harry stood up dejectedly with a sigh, forcing himself to move towards the library despite wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep for a week. _I'll just grab a quick book and head back to stay with Sirius and Remus tonight – I can't face having to see Hermione or Ginny tonight_.

After selecting a book on transfiguration Harry slowly made the long trek over to the Marauder Quarters, desperate to relax and let himself become focused on the task of reading.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Sirius asked as Harry entered and plopped himself down on the usual sofa.

"Yeah," Harry said, rubbing his eyes. "I'd rather not run into Hermione or Ginny tonight thanks."

"Anything we can help you with?" Remus asked, noticing Harry's strained tone.

"Not unless you can break your word to Dumbledore," Harry muttered darkly, flipping the book open. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.

"If you're really struggling we could - "

"Forget about it," Harry interrupted. "I've been in worse situations than this, I'll figure something out." Sirius and Remus were silent after that, sensing that Harry wasn't much in the mood to talk. It wasn't long until Harry headed off to bed, rather looking forward to feeling more energetic when he awoke.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The next morning Harry woke up slightly later than usual, causing him to have to rush around in order to get to Transfiguration in time. It also meant he had to skip breakfast, which instantly ruined his 'I've-just-had-a-good-nights-sleep' mood. Sirius and Remus were both in bed, so Harry tried to keep the noise down as he packed his bag (asking Dobby to fetch the items in his dormitory up in Gryffindor tower) and dressed. Finally, with only five minutes to spare, Harry set off at a light jog for the classroom.

Despite jogging, Harry was still a couple of minutes late and was rather surprised when McGonagall _didn't_ take points off of Gryffindor, instead giving him a somewhat concerned glance as she motioned for him to sit down.

"As I was saying," McGonagall continued her lesson as Harry took the empty seat beside Neville, "this is rather difficult compared to your previous tasks. Transfiguring a live object into an inanimate one is a very difficult, though very useful, thing to learn. Miss Patil, if you could?" One of the main fourth-year gossipers, Parvati Patil, collected the box of rabbits with a smile on her face as she cooed at them and handed them out.

"What've we to do?" Harry asked Neville in a low voice.

"Transfigure them into slippers," Neville explained, waving his wand over his rabbit, his face scrunched up in concentration.

"You need to flick your wand more at the end," Harry advised Neville before returning his attention to his own rabbit. Doing the wand movement described in the book, Harry murmured the incantation, "lepus ut taberus," smiling as the rabbit half-transfigured.

Somehow Harry ended up being one of the few who managed to completely transfigure their rabbit. Blinking at his own amazement, Harry hung back to walk to Herbology with Neville, trying to ignore the disappointed look on Hermione's face as she left with Ron.

However, just as he was about to leave McGonagall's voice called out, asking for a word. "Save me a spot," Harry told Neville, before turning to face McGonagall nervously.

"There is no need to be so anxious, Mr Potter," McGonagall told him with a rare smile. "I merely wanted to check whether or not you had a Ball partner yet."

"Err," Harry said, biting his lower lip. "I – I did… but I think I need to find a different one… Don't worry, Professor. I'll have someone on time."

Harry was distracted all the way through Herbology, his mind refusing to let go off the problem that was a Ball partner. When the bell rang for lunch he let out a tired sigh and trudged slowly back up to the castle on his own, not surprised when he ran into Malfoy. Giving the three Slytherins and irritated glare Harry cast a leglocker charm on them all before they even had the chance to attack and left them lying where they had fallen awkwardly onto the ground. Reaching the Great Hall, Harry glanced around before smiling slightly as he noticed Luna sitting with Cho at the Ravenclaw table. The two were in conversation, though it was obvious that Cho was trying hard not to laugh at whatever new belief Luna had just sprung on her.

"Mind if I sit?" Harry asked, wandering over to them.

"Sure," Cho said, sliding along to let Harry sit between the two girls. "Things not going too well with the Gryffindors?" she asked sympathetically.

"Well, there's that," Harry nodded, keeping his face neutral. "I also needed to ask you a favour, Luna," he said, turning to the blonde Ravenclaw from Ginny's year.

"Okay," Luna said, looking at Harry with an uncharacteristically serious face.

"Well," Harry started uncomfortably. "You know I need to open the Ball right? Well, the girl I was going with… I don't think I'll be going with her anymore. Don't take this the wrong way – I'm not just asking you _because_ I can't go with her - "

"It's alright," Luna told him with a smile. "I understand. And you want to go with a friend, right? Someone who won't treat you like a trophy? I would be happy to go with you as friends."

"Seriously? Thanks, Luna!"

"Do you know who Fleur is going with?" Cho asked him curiously.

"Fleur?" Harry frowned, turning to face Cho now. "No… she hasn't mentioned the Ball all that much, actually. I'll ask her next time I see her."

And, as it so happened, Harry ran into Fleur right after dinner that night when he went out to clear his head, mentally preparing himself for yet more gruelling hours of research.

"Fleur," Harry said in surprise, taking a quick step back.

"'Ello, 'Arry," Fleur smiled. "Are you out for a walk?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Just a quick one… to clear my head before I start doing some research."

"Would you like some company?" Fleur asked softly.

"Sure," Harry shrugged, not really minding either way. Rain was no longer falling, but the ground was damp and small puddles could be found lying here and there.

The two walked silently for a few minutes until Harry remembered his conversation with Cho at lunch.

"Have you got a date for the Yule Ball yet?" Harry asked Fleur curiously.

"One of ze seventh year Hufflepuffs," Fleur nodded. "What about you? Viktor mentioned you were going wiz zat girl – Ginny – but she ees the one you are not talking to now, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm going with Luna now," Harry nodded glumly.

"I am sorry," Fleur told him softly. Fleur didn't even know the whole story, as Harry didn't want many knowing about his 'problem', so it was rather nice that she was acting understanding.

"It's alright," Harry forced himself to adopt a light tone. "Y'know, I think it's time I head back to do my research. I'll – er – see you around." He hurried off, leaving a faintly concerned Fleur to stand by herself near the Whomping Willow.

Upon reaching the library, Harry bit back a groan as he saw Hermione, Ginny and Ron sitting at a table working on their Charms homework. He couldn't, however, hold back the overpowering waves of anger and betrayal that shot up from the pit of his stomach.

Sighing, knowing he couldn't simply run and hide every time he saw his so-called friends, Harry forced himself to enter the library and ignore the stares piercing his back as he browsed the shelves, picking selective books – he still wanted to learn more about Fleur's charm, but he was open to other ideas too, if he could find them. Not wanting to stay in the library with his fellow Gryffindors, Harry checked the books out and headed over to the Marauder Quarters.

"Alright, cub?" Remus asked as Harry settled himself down to read.

"Fine," Harry said, fighting to keep his voice steady. _Fleur only wanted to help – stop overreacting at everything!_ "Just researching," he said, his voice much more steady.

"You're turning worse than old bookworm Moony here," Sirius said lightly, entering from his bedroom. He came over to ruffle Harry's hair. "Sure everything's alright?"

"Everything's fine," Harry said in a firm voice, keeping his gaze on his book.

"I really wish we could help you with this," Sirius said softly, staring down at Harry's book.

"Don't we all," Harry muttered, turning the page.

"Are you sure you're alright, cub?" Remus asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," Harry said in a rather snappish tone. "I just – I want peace to read… and I couldn't in the library because H– Hermione - and the others – were there. Just… stop with the questions, okay? I'm fine." Sirius and Remus turned quiet after that, but Harry didn't miss the irritating looks of concern each kept sending him.

Harry went to bed not long after, only to be plagued all night by nightmares that resulted in him waking up at an ungodly hour early Thursday morning. He listened carefully as his breathing evened out and was relieved to find he hadn't woken anyone up. Letting out an irritated sigh, Harry quietly climbed out of bed and headed down to the kitchens, where he wasn't all too surprised to find only a handful of elves awake. _It is only four am, and they have to sleep sometime._

After a worryingly small breakfast – _am I losing my appetite again?_ – Harry headed outside, summoning his broom to him. He warmed up by racing around the pitch at an alarming speed before slowing down to a relaxing broom ride around the grounds, skimming low over the lake and even flying up to the Owlery where he briefly watched Hedwig sleeping. _She looks so peaceful_, Harry mused as he sat silently on his broom. It was only when heavy rain started to fall and his fingers became numb that Harry let out a regretful sigh and stored his broom away, heading to the castle to dry off before his first class of the day; Charms.

Nothing much happened in Charms; Ron kept shooting odd glances at him and Hermione kept trying to talk to him, but Harry kept his head down and ignored the two Gryffindors. His concentration was rather off today, though, so he didn't really get much done. Thankfully Flitwick was rather sympathetic and made no remark.

Care of Magical Creatures wasn't much better. His lack of concentration added to the misfortune of being partnered with Neville resulted in both Gryffindors being stung rather severely by the Blast-Ended Skrewts that they were supposed to be walking round the grounds. After apologising profusely and trying to assure a guilty-looking Hagrid that it wasn't his fault, Harry followed Neville up to the Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey hadn't been able to heal the stings completely, so by the time Harry (after skipping lunch) and Neville went to Defence Against the Dark Arts, they were both still wincing every time they moved too much – a fact Sirius seemed to pick up on, as he didn't force them to do much in class. He did, however, ask Harry to stay behind after the bell rang.

"Talk to me, kiddo. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry replied. He rolled his eyes at the look that appeared on Sirius' face. "Neville and I weren't paying attention in Hagrid's class. The Skrewts attacked us."

"Which explains the wincing," Sirius nodded. "What about the fact that I heard you leaving at four o'clock this morning?"  
"I thought you were asleep!"

"I stayed up rather late with Moony last night," Sirius said, shaking his head. It was only then that Harry noticed the darker-than-usual bags under his godfathers eyes. "Was it a vision? Nightmare?"

"Nightmare," Harry said reluctantly. "It's nothing, really – everyone gets them, Sirius."

"You get them more than most, though," Sirius said sadly, stretching his arm out to ruffle Harry's hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can handle a nightmare, Padfoot," Harry said softly.

"I know, kiddo," Sirius said, equally as softly. "Just remember, though – we want to help, me and Moony. We can't do that if you don't talk to us."

"If I have a problem I think you can help with, I'll come to you."

"That's just it, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed. "It's not even about whether or not we can help you solve it – _talking_ helps. Bottling everything up-"

"Just makes it worse, yeah," Harry cut across him. "I know, Sirius. And I know I should talk – I just can't, alright?" Suddenly feeling a rather strange mixture of irritancy and loneliness, Harry pushed past Sirius to escape outside, desperately needing a walk to help him cool off. _Where'd those feelings come from? _

His original plan had been to skip dinner but when, at close to nine o'clock, his stomach rumbled, Harry was forced to go back up to the castle to get some food from the kitchens. He ended up eating very little of it before he headed back to Sirius and Remus, where he ignored their concerned questions and went straight to bed. _Why can't my life ever be nice and easy?_

At least he didn't have as many nightmares – nor did he wake up too early the next morning. Though six thirty was still earlier than he would have liked, it was a far cry better than four am. Yawning and stretching, Harry got up and dressed, jumping when he headed out to find Remus sitting in front of the fire, reading a book.

"Hey," Harry said, voice oddly flat.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said in a somewhat careful tone.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, a hint more emotion in his voice as he sat down beside Remus. "For last night. I know you were worried."

"We were," Remus agreed. "Did something happen?"

"Not really," Harry shook his head. "I just feel… I mean… You and Sirius want to help – you're trying so hard…"

"I think I understand what you're trying to say," Remus said, smiling sympathetically. "We both know it's going to take time, Harry. You don't suddenly change from being independent to sharing your problems – it's going to take some work from _all_ of us."

"I know," Harry said, his voice once again flat. Remus smiled slightly and wrapped an arm around Harry, pulling him into a hug.

"Just give it time, cub," Remus told him softly. "We'll sort everything out eventually."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The next couple of weeks went by without too much drama. After one particularly violent nightmare, Harry had felt the need to cut himself, but had exited his bedroom only to walk straight into Remus. After a very long and awkward silence, Harry had told Remus about his nightmare and the result of it. Sirius had woken up halfway through the conversation, grumbling about their voices being too loud, and the two Marauders had proceeded to distract Harry for the rest of the morning before classes with tales of old pranks.

He didn't get any more visions from Voldemort, either, and he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or anxious about it. On one hand, it was good; he could certainly do without the pain that accompanied every single vision. On the other, though, he hated not knowing what could be next. Did Voldemort have another plan to kill Harry? Had he found out anything on Peter or his accomplice yet?

Schoolwork was increasing, though, giving Harry less time to dwell on such thoughts. It also gave him less time to research, which was starting to worry him. It was now the last week of term – it would be Christmas so very soon – and he still didn't have any idea how to breathe underwater for an hour; he hadn't even found anything on the strange Charm that Fleur had used outside in the rain.

Another Hogsmeade trip was scheduled for the seventeenth of December, for which Harry was grateful as he still had a couple of Christmas gifts to buy – though he _had_ bought most on the last trip. The arrival of this trip also brought another dilemma to Harry – last trip he had bought Christmas presents for Hermione and Ginny. What was he going to do with them – give them to the girls anyway or chuck them away? It seemed such a waste to get rid of them, and he couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought of _not_ giving the two presents, however angry he was at them. In the end, he decided he would give them their presents anyway and hope it didn't arise awkward questions.

And so, on Saturday the seventeenth of December, Harry woke up early for the traditional Quidditch game (it was dry, thankfully) – albeit shorter than usual - before grabbing a light breakfast and heading to Hogsmeade with Viktor and Fleur, who, whilst not all too fussed about Hogsmeade, were adamant they go with Harry to keep him company. The three headed off just before noon, their first destination being the Shrieking Shack, the one and only place Fleur wanted to visit.

"Ees eet really 'aunted?" Fleur asked as the three stood outside the wall, staring out into the grounds.

"Not really," Harry smiled. "You two know about – err – Remus' condition, right?" The two nodded. "Well, when he was a student at Hogwarts, he had to be kept away from everyone during the full moon, so they took him to the Shrieking Shack."

"Really?" Viktor was impressed. "Have you ever been inside it before?"

"A few times," Harry said with a small nod. "The Whomping Willow is planted right over the entrance. I could take you two inside it sometime if you want."

"Yes, please!" Fleur said, her eyes brimming with excitement. Harry had to smile.

After the Shrieking Shack Harry took them to the Three Broomsticks. Fleur copied Harry, ordering a Butterbeer, whilst Viktor tried something called 'Firewhiskey' which Harry could remember the Weasley twins talking about in his third year. Having warmed up, they visited Zonkos and Honeydukes before heading back to the castle. As much as he loved Fleur and Viktor, Hogsmeade just wasn't the same without Hermione, Ron or Ginny.

The last week of classes was as gruelling as ever with the exception of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Sirius seemed to be going out of his way to make the class as fun as possible for everyone. Tuesday had the whole class learning various 'fun' spells – revising ones such as Rictusempra (which tickled them) and Tarantallegra (which caused them to dance) that they head learned in earlier years, including new ones like the bubble hex (caused them to breathe out annoying little bubbles) and the wing-disarm (caused tiny wings to appear on the side of their wings, which would fly away and leave them disarmed. It was rather easy to counter, though). Having learned these 'fun' spells, they had to use them in duels on Thursday to see how creative they were. That class had everyone in stitches and left Harry and Sirius feeling extremely proud of Neville who had won two duels that class. It seemed Neville was rather quick-thinking when he had to be.

Finally, it was Friday and Harry was in his last class of term – Potions. Snape hadn't treated their last classes of term at all different, so Harry wasn't surprised when the class had to brew a rather tricky potion. _He probably enjoys watching us struggle; it's hard to concentrate when Christmas is on the edge of your mind_, Harry thought with a little amusement. Snape might not be the cold-hearted bastard he'd thought him to be in his First year, but he was by no means a kind teacher, either. Thankfully, Harry seemed to do his potion okay, and wasn't terribly upset to hand it in for grading. He was about to leave with Neville when Snape asked him to wait behind. Shrugging at Neville's curious glance, Harry did so, waiting until everyone had left before approaching his uncle.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked lightly. Snape shook his head slowly.

"I was merely wondering if you'd like a break from the training sessions over the holidays." Harry stared at the Potions professor, gobsmacked. _Since when does he let anyone off lightly for anything because of Chrismtas?_

"S-sure," Harry said, trying to conceal a grin. _He's going soft_. "I'll probably keep practicing a little on my own, though." Snape nodded understandingly.

"We'll start back after the first week of term," he said softly. Just as Harry was about to leave, Snape spoke again. "I would take a good look at your present." Harry turned around to face Snape warily. "I am not allowed to directly help you with the Task, but if I point you in the right direction…"

"Thanks," Harry smiled a little and exited the classroom. He was grateful for the help, but he sincerely hoped Snape wouldn't get in trouble. _He's a Slytherin, you twit. The cunning snake with brains. He'll know what he's doing_.

After a quick dinner – _Sirius and Remus will be on my case for weeks if I skip it again_ – Harry headed out into the grounds, ready to relax and let comforting thoughts fill his mind. He adopted his usual spot near the lake, though decided to lean against a tree for support this time as he closed his eyes, letting the bittern wind run over his face. He wasn't all too surprised when he sensed someone approaching and cracked open one eye to see a smiling Fleur coming over to him.

"I 'aven't seen you zis relaxed in a long time," Fleur commented with a soft smile.

"Christmas will do that to a person," Harry agreed, closing his eyes again. "There's a lot of things to look forward to. Presents, Christmas feast - two weeks off school."

"What about ze Ball?" Fleur asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

"Not so fussed about that," Harry shrugged, trying to keep emotion out of his voice. "I'm not fond of dancing, my past experiences with parties have been, on the whole, rather bad, and I'm probably going to be sitting on my own half the night."

"But we will be there!" Fleur exclaimed. "Viktor, Cedric, Cho and I would never leave you on your own!"

"I don't want you lot spoiling your night, following me around to keep me company," Harry said, opening his eyes to look at Fleur. "You all have your own friends, your own plans. Don't worry about me," he finished softly. "I wouldn't be going if I didn't have to open the damn thing. I'll probably leave pretty early, spend the evening with Sirius and Remus."

"Being with you won't spoil our evening," Fleur protested. "We like being with you – that ees the whole point of being a friend, ees it not?" Harry just shrugged, knowing there was no way he was going to change her mind.

Fleur had to leave soon after, as one of her Beauxbatons friends had found them and asked Fleur for help with something. After brushing off Fleur's apologies with a small smile, Harry found himself on his own again, staring out at the lake with only his own thoughts for company. It was as a small fish sent ripples across the water that he suddenly felt an insane need to cast spells at the water. As he stood up, taking aim with his wand, his mind flashed back to something he had read in a book once. _Little 'exercises' like this can increase the strength of your magic_, Harry thought to himself with a small smile. Glancing around, he was relieved to find he was completely alone, though he wasn't sure why he didn't want anyone watching. Shrugging to himself a little, he began casting '_Stupefy's_ into the water as powerfully as he could.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Having gone to bed early last night, Harry was the first awake in the Marauder Quarters on Christmas morning. He didn't want to start opening presents on his own, though, so he settled down in front of the comfortingly warm fire and flicked through a book on easy defensive non-verbal spells, something which Harry thought might come in useful, as he had no idea how easy it would be to speak underwater. Remus joined him nearly an hour later with reading, and the two waited patiently for Sirius, ever the late-riser, to clamber out of bed with an excited tone of voice that was worthy of a five year old. Finally, they started opening their presents.

Remus had given Harry a wand-holster for his wrist, something that he didn't doubt would come in rather useful in future. Sirius had given him a rather handy penknife which could cut through almost anything, undo almost any kind of knot and could counter a wide variety of door lock spells with its blade. Snape had given him some sort of Charms book that he had never seen before, but was looking forward to reading after remembering both his hint and Fleurs earlier Charm that kept the two dry from rain. Hermione and Ginny had both given him some books, making him rather grateful that he had decided to give them their presents after all, and the Weasley twins had given him a wide variety of joke items. Hagrid had given him cakes which he doubted he would ever eat, and he had the usual from Mrs Weasley – a home-knitted jumper and a box of fudge. He _also_ received an Auror-level book of hexes from Tonks, several different books from Cedric, Fleur, Viktor and Cho and an odd pair of socks from Dobby, which made him chuckle slightly, as one sock had a pattern of cartoonish versions of Harry's face and the other a pattern of snitches and broomsticks. Harry was extremely relieved to find he had managed to find presents for everyone who had given him one, otherwise he would probably have felt rather guilty the rest of the day.

The three skipped breakfast, opting to have a large lunch instead, and were just about to go down to the kitchens – normally they ate in the Quarters, but Harry wanted to visit Dobby – when the door opened and in walked a slender woman with short, bubble-gum pink hair.

"Tonks!" Harry said with a grin, letting her give him a large hug and annoying ruffle of the hair.

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks grinned back at him. "Having a good Christmas?" Harry nodded enthusiastically, rolling his eyes at the soft laughs coming from Sirius and Remus.

"We were just heading down to the kitchens for some lunch," Sirius said, stepping neatly past the two. "Care to join us?"

Down in the kitchens, Kreacher was nowhere in sight, for which Harry was grateful. He had gotten the house-elf a small gift, and would rather Sirius didn't know about it – he wasn't entirely sure how his godfather would react to that. He couldn't hold back a grin when he saw Dobby happily wearing the bright, orange scarf Harry had given him for Christmas, though, and had to actually cover his ears at the squeal the over-excited house-elf let out as he noticed what socks Harry was wearing. Harry, Sirius and Remus happily filled Tonks in on everything that had been happening at Hogwarts before she likewise told them about her job, not that she had much to tell. Being an Auror was pretty boring, apparently, as there were so few Dark Wizards that actually needed capturing. Harry had frowned a little at this, but otherwise kept his emotions to himself. _Be careful what you wish for, Tonks. You might just get it_. He didn't want to depress himself on Christmas, but he couldn't help but think of the highly-possible return of Voldemort and his followers. After lunch, having noticed Harry's suddenly subdued actions, the three adults took it upon themselves to drag everyone outside and start a snowball fight, which several Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs soon joined.

Finally, they all headed in to dry off before dinner, as everyone was absolutely soaked.

"Are you going to the Ball tonight?" Harry asked curiously as he sat in front of the fire, preferring it to the strange feeling the Drying Charm gave him.

"Of course," Tonks grinned. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw his two guardians look up at that.

"D-d'you have a partner?" Harry asked curiously. Tonks frowned slightly at his stutter, but otherwise ignored it.

"Of course," she repeated, using the same grin as before. Harry rolled his eyes.

"And who, exactly, is my baby cousin dating?" Sirius asked, joining them by the fire. "I do, of course, need to make dire threats to make sure he treats you right."

"I don't think Molly would appreciate that, Padfoot," Tonks said lightly. Sirius paled and Harry looked up at her curiously before it dawned on him.

"You're dating Charlie?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Percy was too young, and Bill had a girlfriend, so it could only be him. Tonks mischievous smile was the only answer he needed.

Harry wasn't completely dry by the time they had to leave for the feast, so he ended up using magic to dry himself anyway. He didn't mind too much, though, as it was hard to feel down about anything with all the ridiculously bad jokes everyone kept cracking. Harry didn't talk as they headed towards the hall, preferring to let the adults have some time to themselves. _Sirius and Remus don't get to see Tonks that often anymore, I know they miss her_. The three adults headed up to the head table when they arrived at the hall, Harry opting to sit with Neville. He had never really talked to the slightly round boy before, but he was a good friend, and was cleverer than he seemed at first glance.

"Having a good Christmas?" Neville asked merrily as he shuffled along to give Harry a space to sit.

"Brilliant," Harry grinned. He nodded up towards the head table, "Tonks even managed to make it. It's good to have her around again, I've missed her a lot. Thanks for the book, too. How's it been at the Tower?"

"Pretty good," Neville said amiably. "The Twins did… err… get rather excited with the prank items Lee gave them, though."

"Ouch," Harry said with a wince. "I'm glad I wasn't around for that." Neville smiled before he sobered a little. "Is something wrong?" Harry asked with a small frown.

"Err…" Neville said nervously. Harry felt his frown deepen; it wasn't often that Neville felt nervous around his _friends_. "Listen, I know you… argued with Ginny… and you're taking Luna to the Ball, right?" Harry nodded, then smiled as he realized what was coming.

"You decided to take Ginny," he stated. When Neville glanced at him in surprise, Harry made sure his smile was kind, knowing his nervous friend needed reassuring. "You can take her, you know. I'm upset with her, but it would be pretty harsh for her to suddenly miss out on the Ball she was looking forward to. Besides, what happened is between me and her – you're allowed to take who you want." He knew he was started to ramble a little, but hey – at least it seemed to be working, as Neville lost some of his nervous twitching.

"Thanks, Harry," Neville said, his voice considerably brighter.

As Harry worked his way slowly through large platefuls of food, he couldn't help feeling a little bad for Fleur and Krum, who were out in their respective boats and coaches with much smaller feasts than inside Hogwarts. He didn't doubt their schools would have good food, but he knew neither school had brought many house-elves with them. He didn't have long to linger on this as Luna soon ambled over, sitting herself down on Harry's left side.

"Luna!" Harry said, surprise in his voice. "Er – hi."

"Hello, Harry," the blonde girl said in her usual, dreamy voice. She pulled a plate towards her and started piling food on it before turning to Harry. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"Uh – black dress robes," he said, frowning curiously.

"Oh, that's alright then," Luna smiled brightly at him. When Harry sent her a questions glance, she smiled even brighter. "I just didn't want our colours to clash too much. I'm not into fashion the same way as everyone else, but if you were going to wear red robes then my purple dress would have looked horrid."

"Black's a neutral colour, isn't it?" Harry asked Neville. The round boy just shrugged his shoulders. Harry rolled his eyes before continuing. "Well I think it is. Don't worry, Luna – black matches any colour."

Feeling unusually full – so much so, in fact, that he actually felt sick – Harry left the feast in a good mood, despite the inevitably boring evening ahead. Still, it wouldn't be too bad if he left halfway through the night. After opening the Ball, no-one would miss him. With this slightly more cheerful thought in place, Harry headed back to the Marauder Quarters, wanting to read a little of Snapes book before the Ball. He had barely sat down, though, when the door opened and in came Sirius, Remus and Tonks.

"You could have waited on us, you know," Sirius said accusingly.

"I thought you were talking to the Professors," Harry shrugged.

"Only while we waited for _you_ to finish eating," Tonks grinned.

"You're not planning on _reading_ on _Christmas_, are you?" Sirius asked, mock shock evident in his voice. Harry snatched the book up, giving Sirius a cool look.

"I think," Harry said, voice a little cooler than he wanted, "this book has the answer to one of my problems regarding the Second Task."

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked, concern evident in his voice. _Maybe I was a little touchy_.

"No," Harry said shortly. He sat the book reluctantly back onto the sofa. "If you have a better idea of how to spend the next hour, please do tell."

"Go ahead and read, cub," Remus told him with a small smile. "Sirius? Help me with something?" Harry sat down on the sofa with a roll of the eyes and opened his book. _And here I thought Remus was good at being subtle. Could he have made it any more obvious he wants to talk about me?_

Harry was only a chapter into the book when he had to stop and get ready for the Ball. _The books bigger than it looks._ He hadn't found anything promising yet, but he knew Snape would never have said anything if it weren't true. _He may be a devious Slytherin, but he rarely lies. Unless it's to Voldemort._

After nearly ten minutes of struggling with his dress robes – _these are so awkward_ – Harry found Sirius and Remus in similar robes to his whilst Tonks had a blue dress and shoulder-length brunette hair.

"You look nice," Harry told her, earning a ruffle to his hair.

As arranged, Harry met up with Luna just outside the Great Hall, where she was already talking to the Champions and their partners. Harry couldn't help but stare at Hermione when he first saw her; she looked so… _different_. Her hair was sleek, done up in some sort of fancy hairstyle, and she had an elegant – well, as elegant as possible for a fourteen year old – pink dress on. He quickly averted his gaze before anyone noticed and slipped his arm through Lunas.

"You're looking very 'andsome tonight, 'Arry," Fleur told him with a smile.

"Yes, he is, isn't he?" Luna asked dreamily.

"And you two are beautiful," Harry smiled before glancing at his watch. "When do we go in?"

"That would be now, Mr Potter," a stern voice – yet with a hint of warmth – said from behind him.

"Er, alright Professor McGonagall," Harry said uncomfortably. Looking around at his friends, Harry was glad to see he wasn't the only one feeling nervous. From inside the hall he could hear music starting up and next minute Luna was dragging him into the hall, following Cedric and Cho.

Harry felt his face burning a little at all the attention but nevertheless made his way to the dance-floor with Luna. The hall was a beautiful mass of glittering ice-sculptures, Christmas trees and decorations. Hogwarts was always beautiful on Christmas, but the staff and house-elves had outdone themselves this year. When they reached the dance floor, Harry was glad he'd managed to read a book on dancing – and even gladder when he realized Luna was a good dancer, and seemed to be leading him. He struggled to both copy her and keep himself from looking like a complete idiot, but it was rather hard. Needless to say, he was rather glad when the first song finished. After clapping, many other couples had stepped up to the dance floor, leaving him free to go.

"You can dance with anyone you like," Harry told Luna with a smile. "I'm sure you've noticed I'm not exactly a good dancer."

"No, you're not," Luna replied with a smile. "I only know because Daddy used to take me to special events." She then glanced around before looking back at Harry, a slightly more serious look on her face. "I saw Ginny not too long ago," she told him, her voice quieter than he had ever heard it. "She and Hermione want to talk to you."

"Er – alright," Harry said uncomfortably. _Great. On Christmas, too. As much as I dislike the Ball already, our 'chat' will probably end up ruining the whole night_. Harry let out a small sigh and wondered off to a table in search of a drink.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry was careful to avoid any girls who were looking for dance partners as he walked around the Hall, occasionally talking to Neville, Seamus or Dean. He had yet to run into any of the Champions, for which he was glad – it meant they were having fun, rather than tailing him to keep him company. He had also yet to see Ginny or Hermione, which he guessed was kind of bad. He wanted their 'talk' done and over with, rather than walking around for half the night dreading it. Luckily, fate took pity on him – next thing he knew, he had bumped straight into Hermione, spilling his juice all down himself.

"Harry!" Hermione said, voice a little high. "I'm sorry – _Scourgify_ – I was just looking for you…"

"I know," Harry said coolly. "Luna told me. What did you want to talk about?"  
"Er, well – Ginny wants to talk, too. We should really go find her, first - "

"Right here," Ginny had appeared just behind Hermione. "We should probably go outside, so people don't eavesdrop." Ginny held none of the nervousness in her voice that Hermione did as she led them outside. Harry had to smile when he saw several large Christmas trees decorating the grounds – Hogwarts had certainly never done that in his previous years at the school.

"Spit it out, then," Harry said coolly as the two females slowed down near Hagrids hut.

"Alright," Hermione said with uncharacteristic nervousness. "Look – we're really sorry," she started in a wavering voice. "You really shouldn't be mad at Ginny, either – she didn't want to do this in the first place. I – I talked her into it, because I was convinced something was wrong… she just barely agreed. And – well, I know it was wrong t-to betray your trust like that, to ignore your right to privacy, but I s-swear I only wanted to help." Hermiones eyes were bright with unshed tears, which in itself was such an unusual sight that Harry felt his anger leaving him. He actually felt sorry for her.

"We know it'll take a lot for you to trust us again," Ginny said in a small yet strong voice. "We want to try and make it up to you, though. It's been horrible these past few weeks, not being able to talk to you… please, Harry."

Harry let out a long, tired sigh as he turned to stare out at the nearby lake. It was dark out, so the moon and stars were reflected in the water. He had to admit he missed his two Gryffindor friends, even if they had hurt him. It hadn't helped that he'd lost them so soon after falling out with Ron. Finally, taking a deep breath, Harry turned back to face his two… _friends_.

"Alright," he said softly. "We'll try. I'm not saying we're going to be…. Well… as close as we were before, but I'm willing to give it a shot. If you do anything like that again, though…"

"We wont, Harry, we promise!" Joy and relief were evident in Hermiones voice despite the bright tears still lingering on her eyes.

Hermione and Ginny went inside soon after, shivering from the cold, but Harry stayed outside to gather his thoughts together. He was friends with Hermione and Ginny again – a fact he couldn't decide whether to be happy or unhappy about. Sure, he'd missed them – and it was such a relief to have them back – but they had _really_ betrayed his trust. He let out a sigh again. They _had_ only wanted to help – and, really, he would have been rather worried if either of _them_ had kept coming to the Tower injured. _One step at a time_, he told himself. _Just sit back and see how it goes_.

It was nearly midnight when Harry finally went back to the Marauder Quarters, shivering uncontrollably from the cold and unable to remember the incantation for the warming Charm. _Dumbass_. As he entered, he found Remus sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.

"Hullo, Moony," Harry said softly, not wanting to surprise his guardian.

"Hello, cub," Remus smiled at him, patting the empty space beside him. "The Ball too much for you?" He frowned as he felt Harry shivering.

"I've been outside," Harry explained. "I was – er – talking to Hermione and Ginny."

"About?" Remus prompted gently, pulling out his wand and casting a warming Charm on Harry.

"Thanks," Harry smiled gratefully. "Anyway – they just wanted to be friends again…" Harry trailed off with a shrug. "I miss them… so I told them we could try."

"That's great, Harry," Remus hugged him tightly.

"Yeah," Harry said, his voice a tad uncertain. He gazed at the fire for a few moments before standing up with a yawn. "I'm beat," he said with a small smile. "Thanks."

"What for?" Remus frowned.

"A great Christmas," Harry smiled.

* * *

Chapter 10 is now up.  
Chapters 11 and 12 are complete and awaiting betaing. Chappy 11 will probably be up next Tuesday or Wednesday, though I may have to wait 'til Friday. We'll see.  
Chapter 13 is taking a bit longer to write because the parts I'm at are incredibly _boring_ to write, so yeah. Ugh.  
Also, mm, this fic might not be as long as I first predicted... I've cut the chapter plan down from 20 to 15/16. 

On a brighter - well, more depressing, really- note; something really... uhm, _big_ is going to happen in chapter 13. Let's just say Cedrics death won't be the only dark thing in this fic... I won't say too much lest I spoil it. : )

As always, read and review! Well, obviously you've read- woops, I'm starting to ramble. I'm usually above begging, but reviews really help motivate me to write - I mean, hey! I completed chapter 12 in two days because I felt good about the reviews I was getting. Hint.

Oh, and a second 'as always'; thanks to my fab beta, Roxy aka Suspended. : )


	12. The Ambush

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 11

When Harry awoke next morning it was nearly seven-thirty in the morning… much later than he was used to. He knew from the moment he woke up that boxing day was going to be a _lot_ more relaxing than Christmas day and happily pulled himself into a comfortable sitting position on his bed. He then began to read the new charms book he had received from Severus. He kept reading until eight when he decided he should go out for the morning jog he had been skipping rather a lot.

It was, amazingly, dry outside. The air was cool on Harry's face as he jogged slowly around the grounds, picking his pace up at the very end. As he re-entered the castle and headed to the shower-room, he found his mind wandering back to his childhood Christmases. They had always been rather boring, much like any other day of the year – except perhaps a little more cooking as his aunt and uncle often held parties. He'd always enjoyed the brilliantly white snow that fell around that time of the year, though. Shame they didn't seem to get snow as much anymore.

After his shower Harry headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, not really expecting many people to be up so early on boxing day morning. He knew people tended to stay up late and enjoy Christmas – made even worse, of course, by the fact that there had been a special Ball the previous night. Therefore he was rather surprised to find Ginny sitting at – well, more like _sprawled over_ – Gryffindor table.

"You're up early," Harry commented, spreading jam onto a piece of toast. Ginny, who was only half-awake, jumped at his voice.

"Couldn't sleep," she said, hiding a yawn.

"Oh?"

"Fought with Ron," she grinned. "He's still being a jealous arse."

"Of me?" She nodded. "Prat," Harry scowled. "What the hell is there to be jealous of?"

"I know," Ginny patted his arm sympathetically. "That's why we fought. You left the Ball early so I guess you missed it but I turned his hair pink in front of everyone and he didn't know how to counter it," she was struggling to hide a grin.

"You shouldn't sink down to his level," Harry shook his head at her with a small frown. "That'll… it'll just make it all worse."

"You didn't grow up with six older brothers, Harry," Ginny smiled slightly. "Fighting is what all siblings do– with the exception of Gred and Forge, of course, who never fight each other. Though they do prank the rest of us often enough to make up for it." Harry had to laugh at that, and very quickly found himself choking on his toast. "Careful, Harry," Ginny grinned, thumping him – rather hard, for a girl – on the back.

After breakfast Harry headed outside for a small walk where he found Viktor and Cedric standing by the lake. He was about to turn around and leave them in peace when Cedric noticed him and called him over.

"Hullo," Harry greeted them.

"Good night, wasn't it?" Cedric asked with a grin.

"It was alright, I guess," Harry shrugged. "I've always found the idea of Balls to be rather boring though. I'm not much of a dancer," he grinned.

"You made up vith your two friends though, did you not?" Viktor asked with a small smile. _Secrets don't stay secrets for long at Hogwarts_, Harry thought with a mental snort.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. Cedric's grin turned even wider as he gave Harry a friendly slap on the back.

"Good for you, Harry! Now you don't have to be lonely when the rest of us are busy."

"Lonely?" Harry scoffed with a playful smile. "I never was."

"Of course not," Cedric said, pulling a serious face while Viktor laughed at the playful banter between the two.

Cedric left half an hour later having promised to spend the day with Cho.

"He vorries about you a lot," Viktor remarked as soon as Cedric had entered the castle. Harry turned around to look at the older Bulgarian curiously. "I'm not sure he vould admit it to you," Viktor told Harry with a smile. "He always tells it to Fleur, Cho and myself. Especially when you fell out with your Gryffindor friends – he thought you would be lonely all the time."

"He is a Hufflepuff, I suppose," Harry smiled slightly. "Loyal and caring and all that – he's the perfect example. In the short time that I've known him he's proved just how much he cares for all his friends – he'd do anything for them."

"Yes, he vould," Viktor nodded.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry decided to sleep in Gryffindor Tower that night, so at eight o'clock he found himself sitting in the Common Room with Hermione and Ginny, reading the Charms book Snape had given him. A few chairs away he could see Ron sitting with Neville, Dean and Seamus, the redhead occasionally looking up at him with a thoughtful expression which irritated Harry to no end. _Just spit it out, Ron_. 

"You're staring," Ginny's voice cut through Harry's thoughts.

"Huh?" Harry asked, startled.

"At Ron," Ginny grinned. "You were staring at him. Is there something we should know about?"

"No," Harry frowned at her and turned his attention back to his book.

"How large is that book?" Hermione asked him softly. "You've been reading for awhile now."

"Five thousand pages," Harry sighed. "Sev told me that something in here could help me with the Task, though."

"Do you want me to read for awhile?" Hermione enquired. "I've nearly finished all my homework."

"Sure, alright," Harry handed the book over to the bushy haired witch. "I've got some homework I need to finish, too. This book's become my obsession."

"We've noticed," Ginny grinned.

"You know," said Hermione thoughtfully. "I came across a book once on self-transfiguration. It's NEWT level, but you've been doing advanced spell-work for awhile now – you _could_ manage it."

"Doubt it," Harry shook his head. "The advanced spells I've been doing – well, they took me forever to get right. If I try and transfigure myself, what happens if I get it wrong? Transfiguration on yourself is ridiculously hard… that's why it was decided NEWT level in the first place."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right," Hermione nodded before she pulled the Charm book closer to herself and started reading it.

At eleven Harry headed to bed, saying he was tired. It wasn't a lie, really – he _was_ tired. It was just that he _could_ have stayed up longer. Being back in the Tower was a little strange, though, as he had gotten himself so used to the Marauder Quarters. When Ron came in half an hour later Harry ignored him, feigning sleep.

The heavy rain outside woke Harry up _very_ early next morning. Stifling a groan, Harry pulled himself out of bed and dressed in baggy old clothes – some of the leftovers from Dudley's clothing – before heading outside. He was in a strange mood today and the rain didn't bother him as he started a slow jog from the doors up to Hagrids hut. By the time he'd reached the hut, Harry was soaked to the bone and shivering. Frowning slightly as he looked around the grounds, Harry set off on his jog again, trying to ignore the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that was telling him something was wrong.

_Should have listened to my stomach_, Harry thought angrily as he pulled himself out of the lake. One minute he had been jogging by it, the next a small orange light had pushed him into it, soaking him worse than even the rain had. He had his wand out as he clambered out the chilly water, staring between the trees. _I know you're there_. His heart was pounding, his body numb. _Uh-huh. Remind me never to go in the lake during winter._ Concentrated as he was, he was able to notice a small swish of a cloak between the trees. Taking a wild guess at which direction the person was moving in, Harry shot a Stunner into the trees where a yelp told him he had just barely missed his target. Frowning at the unfamiliar voice, Harry brought up a small shield around him and inched closer, wishing he had the Marauders Map on him. It never even crossed his mind that moving closer might be a pretty stupid idea, so he was incredibly grateful when his shield blocked a spell that looked suspiciously like a body-bind.

"Pettigrew!" Harry spat in disgust, having caught a glance of the man's face as he moved behind another tree. "You bloody coward!"

"You don't know anything!" Peter shot back, anger and fear both mixed in his nervous voice.

"I know Voldermort's pretty pissed off with you," Harry said tonelessly, trying to find a way to aim for the rat Animagus. Whilst he was trying to do this, a bright purple spell came flying toward him from a different direction. _His accomplice_, Harry thought with a scowl as he dodged out of the oncoming spells way. Knowing there was no way he could take on two fully-grown adults, Harry started backing away, knowing he needed to find someone – anyone – hell, even _Malfoy_ would be good right now.

"Oh no you don't!" an unfamiliar voice barked. "_Crucio!"_

After his lessons with the impostor Moody, Harry knew that nothing could block an unforgivable. Therefore, when he failed to dodge the curse, he knew his flimsy shield wouldn't be any help. He _also_ knew from said lessons that the Cruciatus curse forced the victim to feel intense pain – much worse than most people ever had to face in a lifetime. Somehow, though, he hadn't expected it to be this bad. Even his visions, courtesy of Voldemort, weren't this bad. They were a numbed down version. As it was, Harry was silently screaming – one of the two Death Eaters had cast a Silencing Charm on him, undoubtedly to keep anyone from finding them – as what felt like thousands of tiny, poker-hot knives stabbed into him all over his body. He eventually managed to clamp his mouth shut, biting hard on his lower lip to prevent himself from giving Peter's accomplice exactly what he wanted. _I won't scream_, Harry thought desperately, even as tears started trickling down his face, mingling with the blood that was dripping from his lip.

The curse couldn't have been held for longer than thirty seconds, though it felt more like thirty minutes to Harry. As soon as it was lifted Harry lay in a panting heap on the ground, clutching his wand with a death grip. Despite the after-shock of pain still running through his body, of his numb mind and the nausea he was feeling, Harry forced himself to stand up. _This is definitely my worst year at Hogwarts_. Harry took a deep breath before casting spells in quick succession; disarming spells, stunning spells, body-binds, anything that came to mind. He didn't stop until he was purple in the face and was pleased to note he had stunned the 'accomplice', a middle-aged man with cropped, dark brown hair and had disarmed and caught Pettigrew with a body-bind.

"How does it feel to be the victim Peter?" Harry asked coldly before stunning the frozen man.

Having stunned both men – two grown Death Eaters, actually, a fact that made Harry feel a little proud – Harry was left pondering what to do. Obviously he had to find Sirius or Remus, but he didn't quite trust the two Death Eaters to stay stunned. He had a feeling that if he left them, they'd somehow find a way to escape. In the end, he decided to float both men up to the castle with him, hoping desperately that he didn't faint on the way there. With a silent _Mobilicorpus_, Harry set off towards the castle with the two men floating along behind him.

The trip to and through the castle was painfully slow, made worse by the lack of students roaming the halls. The ghosts and Peeves weren't even around, leaving Harry feeling spookily alone. _Probably because I've just been in a fight_, Harry told himself. _The castle itself isn't spooky._ _I've roamed it plenty of times when the corridors are empty_. Nevertheless, Harry kept a tight grip on his wand, ready to cast a spell at the first sign of trouble – from the floating men (though he had their wands stashed safely in his pocket) or otherwise.

Harry made it, somehow, to the Hospital Wing without incident and immediately collapsed tiredly onto a bed. Madam Pomfrey, who had been using her wand to fix up the ward, bustled over to him with a shocked expression.

"What are you doing up so early, Mr Potter? And why, pray tell, do you have _two unconscious Death Eaters _withyou?"

"I went to bed early," Harry said irritably. "And when I went out for my normal morning jog I got attacked by _those_ _two_," Harry pointed to the unconscious men.

"Lie still," Madam Pomfrey ordered, and Harry obeyed happily. It hurt rather a lot to move, after all. The Hogwarts matron didn't say anything as she waved her wand over Harry, but by the tightening of her lips it was obvious she wasn't pleased.

"Drink this," Madam Pomfrey told Harry, handing him a vial of purple potion summoned directly from her office. From the look on her face, Harry knew it would be wise to do as he was told, and obediently drank the potion. Barely ten seconds later, Harry found his vision going dark as he slipped into a comfortable sleep.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

He was flying Buckbeak, soaring around the grounds of Hogwarts. It was snowing and he had no jacket on, but he wasn't cold at all. Buckbeak's body heat was enough to keep him warm. Harry grinned and waved every time he passed a window and saw his friends. It was strange that they were inside when they could be out flying like him, but he didn't think about it too much.

The snow changed to large, hard hailstones that pelted his face and left small scratches while Buckbeak transformed into a large snake. Now Harry was falling through the air, clutching onto the snake for dear life. He was okay, though. They landed in the water, where the snake started swimming through it, Harry sitting on it like a boat. The snake didn't seem to like him too much, though, and soon went underwater, trying to drown him. Harry tried to cast a charm to help him breathe, but it wasn't working. He couldn't breathe… he was suffocating… his chest hurt… everything was turning black…

He opened his eyes to find himself in a poorly lit, dusty wooden-floored room. _I've been here before_. A large bookcase and several cabinets were illuminated by the small balls of fires floating around the room. He was gazing at the fire, his ever-faithful Nagini curled up in front of it, relishing in the warmth. A sudden knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"In," Harry said coolly, a small smile appearing on his lips as a nervous Bella entered the room.

"Master," Bellatrix Lestrange dropped to her knees, bowing to him.

"I hope you have a good reason to disturb me, Bella," Harry said, his voice only marginally warmer than usual. Bella was a good girl, she didn't anger him too often.

"Indeed," Bella nodded, standing up again. Her nervousness disappeared as her confidence grew that her master would like the news that she held. "Pettigrew and Davies were caught," she told him. "They both attacked the Potter boy – he is in the Hospital Wing right now. The Ministry have collected them both and have them in holding cells at the Auror Department."

"Who were they caught by?"

"Well," Bella looked slightly nervous again, though she hid it well. "After Davies cast the Cruciatus on him, it seemed he went wild. He cast a lot of spells at one and managed to stun them both."

"Two of my followers were defeated by a mere boy?" Harry asked, cold fury evident in his voice. "They can stay where they are," he spat. "I will collect them eventually, but only after I have devised a suitable punishment."

"Of course," Bella nodded.

"I know how you like watching people suffer, Bella. I think I shall allow you to help this time."

"Thank you, my Lord," Bella bowed before exiting the room, leaving an angry Harry with only his dark thoughts for company.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry woke with a small gasp, sitting up and rubbing at his scar. The lack of Cruciatus spells meant it didn't hurt as much as useful, but it seemed simply viewing Voldemorts memories was enough to cause him an uncomfortable amount of pain. When the pain finally subsided, Harry became aware of two things. One, he was in the Hospital Wing _again_. Two, Sirius and Remus were sitting on either side of him with extremely worried faces. After a second everything came back to him; waking up early, going for a jog, being attacked…

"How long have I been unconscious?" Harry blurted out, startling even himself.

"Nearly two days," Sirius said in a low voice. "We were starting to get pretty worried."

"The Ministry have Pettigrew and his friend," Remus added.

"I know," Harry said, gazing at his bed sheets. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other, but didn't say anything about it. Finally, Harry took a deep breath and looked up at them. "I guess you want to know what happened, then."

"Only if you're up to it," Sirius said quickly. "If you'd rather wait - "

"Nah," Harry shook his head. "Okay – so I woke up early, not that unusual, and I decided to go out for a jog - "

"In the rain?" Remus pulled a face.

"In the rain," Harry smiled slightly. _I thought he didn't mind rain_. "I… it felt like something was wrong… I _knew_ something was wrong, but I ignored it," Harry let out a miserable sigh. "I ignored everything you've taught me about listening to my instincts - "

"It's not your fault, cub," Remus patted his arm reassuringly.

"Hogwarts is supposed to be safe," Sirius agreed. "Of course you'd find it hard to believe something was wrong."

"After everything I've been through?" Harry scoffed. He let out another sigh before continuing, "well, I was near the lake when a spell hit me and pushed me in," he shuddered, remembering all too vividly how cold the water had been. He pulled the blanket tighter around him subconsciously. "After that… I threw a few spells, and when I realised who it was – and that I was outnumbered – I tried to get away…" Harry trailed off, not looking at either of his guardians.

"And one of them hit you with the Cruciatus Curse," Remus continued softly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, cub. Stronger people than you have been unable to avoid it."

"Doesn't matter," Harry said tonelessly, shrugging off Remus' hand. "After that I just went mental with the spells, and somehow got them both. I didn't even pay attention to what I cast or where I aimed it… then I brought us all to the Hospital Wing, and that's about it."

"You should have seen Snape," Sirius smiled slightly, and Harry looked at him strangely. _Did Sirius just say Snape's name without a sarcastic remark?_ Sirius rolled his eyes, almost as though he knew what Harry was thinking. "I may not like him, but… he was pretty pissed off. He – er – hexed Davies quite a bit before the Ministry came."

"Sounds about right," Harry nodded, a tiny smile appearing on his face. He sobered pretty quickly, though. "Look, I'm sorry for worrying you…"

"You don't need to apologise," Remus frowned.

"It's not your fault you got hurt," Sirius agreed, mimicking Remus' frown. Harry just shrugged. As if a light switch had been flicked in the Marauders' heads, their eyes flashed with understanding as each one glanced at each other. _Dursleys._ It was the Dursleys fault Harry always felt he had to take the blame for everything; their fault he felt bad for getting hurt.

A little more than an hour later, straight after the end of classes, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Ron all appeared at the Hospital Wing.

"We've been so worried!" Hermione rushed over to hug him, and though he accepted it, most of Harry's attention was on Ron.

"Still jealous of me?" Harry asked the redhead coolly. Ron visibly flinched and the tip of his ears darkened with shame.

"I – I'm sorry," Ron told him sincerely. "Hermione and Ginny have explained a lot, believe me. I just saw all the attention you got…"

"And forgot about the real me; the Harry who grew up with an abusive family and has bloody-thirsty maniacs running after him," Harry's voice was cold and he knew it. "What kind of an idiot can be jealous of something like that?"

"I got caught up in the moment," Ron said miserably. "I didn't think anything through… I became as bad as all those fans you hate."

"Yes, you did," Harry said, his tone warming back up to 'cool'. He frowned as he watched Ron, the way he moved. _He really is sorry_. "Just… don't do it again, alright?" Harry asked reluctantly. A faint look of happiness and relief lit up Rons face as the redhead nodded. "Next time I won't forgive you so easy. I need to know my friends are going to stick by me, not drift away because of petty things."

"I won't," Ron promised. "I know I was a prat. Ginny helped me see that." Harry laughed, which instantly lifted some of the tension.

Cedric and Cho arrived just as Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna were leaving.

"Hey, Harry," Cho said softly, hugging him. Harry just barely held back a roll of the eyes; _do girls always have to hug?_

"Hey, guys," Harry greeted them with a grin.

"You had us pretty worried, there," Cedric told him, thumping him lightly on the shoulder.

"You and everyone else," Harry sighed. "I'm - "

"Don't even try and apologise," Cho warned him sternly. He smiled weakly at her. "Have you made up with Ron?"

"Sort of, yeah," Harry nodded. "I mean, we're not ignoring each other any more. It's a start," he shrugged.

"It's good to see you getting your friends back," Cedric smiled at him.

"It feels good," Harry smiled back.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

When Harry was released on Thursday, he instantly made his way down to the Dungeons. Something that Luna had said during her visit about Snape was sticking in his head. _"He was awfully worried, you know," Luna had told him, her usual dreamy face gone. "I don't think he likes visiting when your guardians are around. Or your friends, for that matter," her dreamy face came back as she adopted her 'thinking' look. "Maybe he's scared of us," she concluded at last_.

Well, she was half-right. He didn't like visiting when his friends or guardians were around, and he felt guilty for forgetting that. He and Snape had drifted apart a lot this year, with their only meeting being during Potions lessons or training sessions. _You prat_, Harry scolded himself. Snape didn't want too many people to know exactly how close they were as, if Voldemort – well, _when_ Voldemort – came back, Snape would have to be a spy again. If Voldemort knew how close they were, he would almost certainly get Snape to kidnap Harry.

Harry looked up with a start when he realised he was in front of Snape's door. Taking a deep breath and shaking his head, he knocked, waiting for Snape's 'come in' before he entered.

"Hello," Harry smiled slightly, sitting down in one of the chairs near the fire.

"Madam Pomfrey has released you at last, I see," Snape said, setting the essay he was marking down onto the desk.

"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to the next few days, though. Sirius and Remus are going to be overwhelming."

"As they should be," Snape told him, an odd look in his eyes. When Harry glanced up at him, the Potions Master elaborated. "Tell me, Harry. How much do you know about the Dark Lord's followers?"

"Not that much," Harry replied honestly. "I know they like to torture people, but books on that subject don't exactly go into deep detail."

"No, I don't imagine they do," Severus nodded. "It is true that most like torture, yes. It gives them a high, much like muggle drugs do." _Like my self-harm did_, Harry thought sullenly. If Snape noticed the odd look that crossed Harry's face, he didn't say anything. "They tend to pick a target and stick with it until they are satisfied. That is to say, if Pettigrew and Davies have picked you as a target, they will keep coming after you."

"They're at the Ministry, though."

"They won't be for long," Severus shook his head. "The Dark Lord will get them back, and in any case they will not be the only ones after you. You have a lot of enemies, Harry, and I would not be surprised if more of the Dark Lord's followers decide they want revenge."

"That's just great, then," Harry said bitterly. "As if this Tournament and Malfoy's little gang isn't enough, I have to look over my shoulder for _Death Eaters_, too?" Harry spat out 'Death Eaters' in a very uncharacteristic manner.

"Yes," Snape said regretfully, coming over to grip Harry's shoulder in a firm yet gentle grip. "I have spoken to your guardians about it, now that we've realized just how much danger you may be in." Harry looked up at Snape curiously. It was a very rare occurrence that Sirius and Severus could talk to each other. "You needn't look so surprised," Snape said, a sarcastic smile appearing on his lips. "We _can_ talk… about serious matters. We have decided, with your agreement of course, that perhaps extra training would not be a bad idea."

"I… yeah," Harry nodded, touched that Sirius and Severus had pushed aside their hate for each other in order to help him. "Extra training sounds good."

"I'll still teach you on Sunday evenings, mainly on spell work," Snape told him. "Black will be working on 'muggle fighting' on Tuesday evenings and I believe Lupin was going to work on magical theory and strategising on Thursday evenings."

"Strategising?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow – a trait that he had, in fact, gained from Severus in his second year.

"You think it seems a little too much for a fourteen year old," Snape said, smiling slightly. It was disconcerting, sometimes, how easily Snape could read him – easier, even, than his friends, Sirius or Remus.

"It's the sort of thing adults worry about in wars," Harry shrugged. "Or – well, Ron for his chess games. Is it really necessary?"

"If you're outnumbered by Death Eaters with skills far higher than yours, strategy will be one of the few things you have left."

"I guess," Harry sighed. He looked up at Snape with an odd, empty look in his eyes. "Is this what my life is going to become? All strategy and training – worrying if the next person I run into will want to kill me?"

"It's hard to say," Snape told him regretfully. "If the Dark Lord is indeed reborn then it's true that dark times are ahead."

"I'm sorry," Harry said softly. "I keep focusing on my own problems, don't I? What… what'll happen if Voldemort finds out you're not on his side?"

"It's perfectly alright for you to focus on your problems, Harry," Severus told him, neatly side-stepping Harry's last question. "You have more on your plate than a lot of adults ever face in a lifetime."

"Still, I'm not the only one being affected," Harry said, standing abruptly. "You know, I think I fancy a walk – some fresh air."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Of course, before he went into the grounds, Harry summoned the Marauders Map to him. _I'm not going to make the mistake of being caught unawares again_, he promised himself. He kept the map firmly in one hand as he walked around the lake, grateful that no-one was around. Snape had given him a lot to think about.

He was fourteen. Still a child. Too young by far, in most peoples opinions, to be dealing with half the things he was. He was entered in a Tournament solely so he could get hurt, he had several annoying little Slytherins after him and he had a Dark Lord and his followers thirsty for his blood. It was almost like the Angel of Death was stalking him, waiting for him to slip up. There were so many ways right now that he could be injured or killed…

A sudden movement on the map near the dot labelled 'Harry Potter' caught his eye, and Harry looked down quickly. Then grinned.

After tucking the map into his pocket Harry headed towards the Quidditch Pitch where he found, once again, Cho trying to teach Fleur how to fly. Fleur instantly dropped the broom she was holding when she saw him and rushed over to hug him, ever the over-affectionate friend.

"We've been really worried about you," Cho smiled softly. "It's good to see you up and about again."

"It feels good," Harry grinned. He summoned Fleurs dropped broom to him and handed it back to the French girl. "You trying to learn how to fly again?"

"Yes," Fleur nodded with a bright smile. "I don't think I'm very good at it, though."

"Nonsense," Harry scolded her. "Anyone can fly, all it takes is practice. _Accio Firebolt!_"

When his Firebolt arrived, Harry helped Cho tutor Fleur. The main problem was her low confidence, really. After correcting her grip and stance on the broom, the only thing holding Fleur back was her fear of falling off if she got too high.

"Just try not to think about it," Harry told her patiently as he hovered on his broom beside her. "Just keep flying and try to forget how high you are. First time I flew I was pretty focused on getting a Remembrall back that Malfoy stole, so I didn't have a chance to think about how high I was – otherwise I would have been terrified."

At five the group headed up to the castle for dinner – Fleur was going to sit with Cho – rather reluctantly. Fleur was getting better, and the three had been having a lot of fun.

"Why don't we do that again tomorrow?" Cho asked as they reached the Great Hall.

"What time at?" Harry asked brightly.

"Noon would be good, would it not?" Fleur asked them softly.

"Noon it is," Harry grinned. Just before he entered the hall he turned back to the girls. "We should see if Cedric and Viktor want to join. I think they'd be a lot of help, too."

Ron and Neville had saved a seat between them which Harry took gratefully. Hermione and Ginny sat opposite the three boys, with Luna sitting at the Ravenclaw table.

"Did you have fun?" Ginny asked brightly.

"Yeah, I did," Harry said after swallowing a mouthful of potato. "Fleur's getting a lot better. She'd make a good chaser if she got over her fear."

"Sirius and Remus are looking for you," Hermione told him suddenly, as if she had only just remembered. "They mentioned talking about your training - "

"Snape mentioned that earlier," Harry nodded. "I'll go see them after this, I guess."

"What did the Professor say?" Hermione asked.

"I'm getting more training, thanks to what happened," Harry said flatly. "I'll still get it off him on Sundays, but Remus is gonna help me on Thursdays – guess we'll be starting tonight – and Sirius on Tuesdays."

"Good," Hermione smiled.

True to his word, as soon as Harry finished his dinner he went to the Marauder Quarters to see Sirius and Remus. Thanks to his time with Cho and Fleur, he wasn't as focused on 'dark thoughts' and was able to put a _real_ smile on his face as he entered the room.

"Just the man we wanted to see," Sirius beamed as Harry plopped himself down in front of the fire.

"Snape already talked to me about the extra training," Harry said before either of his guardians could start on some lecture about it. "I'm all for it. If something like… _that_… happens again, I'll need more than 'sheer, dumb luck' on my side next time," he said, quoting McGonagall's words from his first year. Sirius and Remus looked a little put out with Harry already knowing, but got over it pretty quickly.

"Right-o, then," Sirius plastered a smile back on his face. "I've got a book I need to read, so I'll let you two get on with it."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

When Harry went to bed that night his head was buzzing. Remus certainly wasn't going lightly on him; he'd jumped right into it. Not that Harry minded; he'd rather Remus worked him hard… that was the only way to learn good and fast, after all. His dreams that night were all over the place; one minute he was staring at a rainbow in the middle of a thunderstorm and the next he was watching two hippopotamuses playing chess.

Harry was awoken rather rudely the next morning by a flash of pain in his scar that caused him to cry out slightly. Thankfully, he didn't wake anyone up, and the pain was gone within thirty seconds – though the feeling of dread wasn't. The pain in his scar had been accompanied by a flash of happiness, which Harry knew to belong to Voldemort. _And anything that makes him happy is a very, very bad thing for the rest of us_. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind as there wasn't much he could do without a vision to show him _why_ Voldemort was happy, Harry pulled on his clothes and went to the Room of Requirements. A large garden appeared there for him to run in, as he wasn't quite ready to start going outside for his morning jogs yet – even if there wasn't anyone else that would attack him this early in the morning.

By the time he'd finished his run and had a shower, many more students were starting to awake – Ginny being one of them.

"Ready for breakfast?" the redhead asked him brightly, sitting her book down.

"You're rather cheerful," Harry commented as he led them out of the common room.

"Had a good dream," she grinned. Harry let out a snort.

"Are you playing Quidditch again today?" Ginny asked as the two ate breakfast.

"Yes," Harry said, coughing as he had swallowed his juice rather fast. Ginny grinned and thumped him on the back.

"You choke an awful lot, you really should be more careful," she teased.

"Shut it, you," Harry grinned to take the sting out of his words. "So why'd you want to know about Quidditch?"

"Could I join you?" Ginny asked, suddenly nervous. "I mean, it's okay if you'd rather - "

"Yeah, you can join us," Harry assured her. "The more the better, really. Besides, I've never seen you fly properly."

"Alright," Ginny smiled. "What time is it at?"

"Twelve," said Harry. "We're going to help Fleur for a bit then race each other. If you want to play with the Snitch, we usually do that on Saturday mornings so long as it's dry."

At noon the two Gryffindors headed out to the Quidditch Pitch where they found they were the last to arrive.

"Ginny wanted to join in," Harry told them all as he gave Ginny a reassuring smile.

"Okay," Cho smiled warmly at the redhead, as the two had talked before.

"Up you get then, Fleur," Cedric grinned. Fleur scowled at the Hufflepuff but nevertheless, she sat on the broom and took off, hovering ten feet off the ground.

"Let's work on getting you higher today," Cho suggested. "We'll all fly with you, that way if you _do_ fall – though I very much doubt you will – we can catch you." Fleur nodded nervously, and the rest of them took that as their cue to lift off the ground.

"Next stop: the sky," Cho grinned.

They managed to get Fleur to fly up to the top of the stands and to do a steep dive before they let her have a break. Fleur sat, rather gratefully, in the stands whilst the rest of them took turns racing. Harry was rather surprised when Ginny bet Cho in a race and even more so when she tied with Cedric and Harry. Viktor, of course, easily out-flew all of them.

"You're pretty good," Harry praised Ginny when the two headed back to the castle.

"Why thank you, Harry," Ginny grinned. "You're not too shabby yourself." Harry rolled his eyes and laughed.

As soon as the two had reached the common room and sat down Ron came bounding over to them with a bright smile.

"Hogsmeade trip next weekend!" he told them happily.

"So soon?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Makes sense, I guess. Some of the shops will be having January sales, won't they?"

"Christmas sales," Hermione explained to Ron. "Muggles call them January sales."

"Oh, right. Well, yeah – that'll be why. They've always done it. First week in January you get a Hogsmeade trip."

"Well I'm not complaining," Harry grinned. "Some time away from the school sounds good to me."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

And so next weekend Harry was up early, feeling thoroughly excited about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. He'd be going with Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna again, which was bound to make it more fun – Viktor and Fleur were going with Cedric and Cho. The rain was heavy outside, so Harry felt it was safe to assume their usual game of Quidditch was cancelled. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Harry picked up his Charms book – he still hadn't finished it – and headed down to the common room, wanting to read a little before everyone else woke up.

He arrived to find Ginny sitting on an armchair, staring sightlessly into the fire he jumped, having forgotten she would have been joining in the Quidditch today.

"Morning," Harry said brightly, plopping his bum down on the arm of her chair. She jumped and had her hand halfway to her wand before she realized who he was.

"Don't startle me like that," Ginny scowled at him.

"Sorry," Harry apologised, not sounding sincere at all. Ginny's scowl deepened as he opened his book and began to read.

"When does breakfast start?" Ginny asked eventually.

"Officially? Seven."

"What do you mean 'officially'?"

"I mean that you can have breakfast any time you want," Harry said, not lifting his gaze from the book. "The house elves will make you food any time you want if you go down to the kitchens."

"You know where the kitchens are?"

"Yeah," Harry frowned and glanced up at her. "You don't?"

"No," Ginny shook her head. "Never had any need for them, really. I'm not an early riser, and Fred and George can usually get whatever food we need for parties and stuff."

"C'mon then," Harry grinned. "It's time you visited our favourite little elves."

The corridors were eerily silent, but this didn't bother Harry too much – not this time, anyhow. Ginny seemed a little uncomfortable with it, though.

"I could always set off a load of bangs," Harry offered with a grin. "Or call Peeves – he's the master noisemaker."

"I think I'll survive," Ginny commented dryly. "Are we nearly there yet, though?"

"Nearly," Harry nodded. Nearly three minutes later they arrived at the portrait of the fruit bowl. Harry tickled the pear and they entered.

Dobby and Kreacher instantly bustled over to them, soon followed by half a dozen other elves.

"What can we's get for Harry and Miss Weasley?"

"Toast is good for me, thanks," Harry grinned at Dobby. "Ginny?"

"Err, toast is good," she said nervously. Barely ten seconds later they were being ushered over to a table with a large plate of toast and a jug of pumpkin juice.

"Thanks, guys," Harry grinned at the elves.

"It is no problem at all to serve sir and madam," one of the elves bowed.

"If sir and madam need anything else all theys have to do is ask we elves," another beamed.

"We will," Harry assured them.

"They're…. very effective," Ginny said faintly as the elves bustled off to leave them on their own.

"Why d'you think I come here so often?" Harry grinned and took a bite of his toast. "Anything you want, they'll do. Want some food? Fine. Want a mess cleaned up? They can do it with a snap of the fingers."

"Wow," Ginny breathed. "Mum always said she wanted a House Elf, but I never bothered to learn much about them."

"Just warn her to get a good one," Harry grinned. "Take Kreacher for example. I'm the only one who gets along with him – Sirius hates him, and Remus isn't all that fond of him either."

"What's it like living with a House Elf?" Ginny asked him curiously.

"Annoying, sometimes," Harry shrugged. "I get that they basically live to work, but I feel bad making them do everything. Besides, the way I grew up… I'm using to doing a lot of chores, but Kreacher barely lets me lift a finger. I have to argue with him to be allowed to cook."

"Lucky you," Ginny smiled. "I hate cooking." Harry just rolled his eyes.

The two took their time eating the toast – which had some sort of charm on it to prevent it turning cold – whilst they talked about anything and everything, each enjoying the fact that they _could_ talk to each other again. In the end, they didn't leave the kitchen until nine o'clock. Hermione and Ron were at breakfast, so they headed back to Gryffindor tower to play some Exploding Snap while they waited.

Finally, at noon, the group of five stood in line, waiting to be checked over by Filch. The rain had calmed down to a slow drizzle now, nothing like the way it had been pouring when Harry and Ginny had awoken, something which Harry was grateful for. The journey to Hogsmeade seemed to take no time at all as they all teased other, telling jokes and poking fun at random things. _It's good to have them back_, Harry thought with a smile.

They stopped for their traditional visit to the Shrieking Shack before moving on to Honeydukes – Ron's idea, of course. The redhead bought enough sweets for a herd of elephants, but the group, used to this, didn't comment. The sweet shop happened to be opposite an alleyway, which was the first thing Harry noticed as they exited the shop. The second thing he noticed was that a very familiar woman was standing in it, an odd look on her face. When her gaze caught Harry's, her expression turned to one of deep hate. When she raised her wand, Harry dropped his bag of sweets and grabbed his wand firmly, shocking his friends who had yet to notice Bellatrix. In an instant, though, they each had their wands out, too, and Bellatrix realising she was outnumbered sent Harry one last dirty look before turning on the spot and Disapparating.

"She has some nerve, showing up here," Ron scowled as Harry picked up his bag of sweets.

"Wonder what she was doing," Harry pondered aloud.

"She wanted to attack you!" Ginny said nervously. Harry shook his head, though.

"If she wanted to attack me she had the perfect chance before we noticed her."

"Harry's right," Hermione said softly.

"Perhaps some Wimburgles were chasing her," Luna offered. Harry kept his face straight for all of two seconds before he started laughing.

The group was extremely cautious after that, but they didn't run into any more trouble. They browsed the shops easily and bought a large amount of joke items – or, in Hermione's case, a lot of books – before heading to the Three Broomsticks for a quick Butterbeer before they headed back to the castle.

"I love this stuff," Ron grinned as he drank the warm liquid.

"It's not the only thing you love," Ginny scowled at him. "Honestly. Do you know how wrong it is to see you staring at Madam Rosmerta like that? It's disgusting!"

"At least it's not the other way about," Luna put in. "I think it would be far worse if Madam Rosmerta was crushing on Ron."

"That would be pretty wrong," Hermione wrinkled her nose slightly.

"I'm sitting right here, you know!" Ron said through clenched teeth.

"How could we forget?" Ginny muttered under her breath. Harry frowned at Ginny's sudden change of mood, but wisely kept his mouth shut. "I'm going to the loo," Ginny said, standing up. "I'll be back in a minute."

A minute soon turned into three, and three soon turned into six. The group carried on talking to each other, trying to pretend they weren't worried… even if Ginny really did only ever take a minute in the bathroom. Time ticked on and Harry started contemplating sending one of the other girls in. After Ginny had been gone for nearly ten minutes, Hermione stood up to go find her… just as the redhead finally arrived back.

"Sorry," the younger girl apologised. "I had to help someone out."

"Who?" Ron frowned.

"A witch," Ginny shrugged. "Didn't find out her name." Harry frowned at Ginny. _Something's not right_. He looked her up and down, trying to suss out why something felt wrong, but he couldn't find anything. From the looks of it, he wasn't the only one who felt something was wrong. Starting to feel a little uneasy, Harry finished his Butterbeer in one go and stood up.

"How about we head back now?" The rest of the group were only too happy to agree.

The feeling of something being wrong only increased as they trekked back up to the castle. Harry glanced at Ginny, making sure she was out of earshot, and moved closer to Hermione.

"D'you feel it?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded worriedly, glancing at Ginny out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't think it was helping someone that held her back," Hermione whispered back. "Something happened, I just don't know what. I feel like I should, though… like it's really obvious."

"Join the club," Harry sighed. He moved back slightly before Ginny noticed anything and carried on walking in silence. Even Ron wasn't making his usual jokes or sarcastic attempts at conversation. The further they walked, the more Harry's headache seemed to increase… _wait, headache?_ An idea suddenly came to Harry, but he wasn't sure… it made sense, but who would risk it? _Of course… Bella… I knew she was up to no good!_ It all made sense to him now… the headache he'd been slowly developing, the difference in Ginny. The empty sort of look in her eyes… _I'm so stupid!_ Harry flicked his wand out discretely, though it got Hermione's attention, and whirled around. His wand was aimed at Ginny as he murmured one simple word.

"Stupefy!"

* * *

And here's chapter 11. Big thanks, as always, to my beta - Roxy!

The chapter isn't as long as I wanted, but it'll do XD Chapter 12 is, I believe, currently sitting in Roxy's inbox and chapter 13 is complete. I'm halfway through the second-last chapter of the fic... I'm not exactly sure how to feel about that XD.

Mmm. I'm starting up a new website that's all to do with my writing. You'll be able to view my other works (fanfiction and original), get graphics (eh. forum avs), offer/recieve help, etc. I'm still working on a lay for it, but I've got a temporary index up if you wanna check it out - starrydollz(dot)com/writing.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, don't forget to R&R!


	13. The Second Task

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 12

_"Join the club," Harry sighed. He moved back slightly before Ginny noticed anything and that's when it hit him. The faint headache he had been developing on their journey back, the difference in Ginny. The empty sort of look in her eyes… I'm so stupid! Harry flicked his wand out discretely, though it got Hermione's attention, and whipped around, aiming at Ginny. _

_"Stupefy!"_

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ron asked furiously, sending a disarming spell at Harry. One of the first things Harry had learned from Snape, though, was how to avoid being disarmed. A very weak '_Protego'_ later, the spell had been reversed and Harry was holding Rons wand.

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione scolded, albeit a little nervously. "H-Harry's right. Something was wrong with Ginny."

"So he _stunned her?_" Ron bellowed. "Some friend you are," he spat as he glared at Harry.

"I happen to think I'm a rather good friend, actually," Harry said coolly. "At least I have reasons other than jealousy to excuse my actions." It was a low blow and Harry knew it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His headache was steadily growing worse, and it was enough to make him wonder how he hadn't noticed it as soon as Ginny had came back from the toilets. Rubbing his head irritably, Harry tossed Rons wand back to him. "Someone cast the Imperius on her, Ron. I have a strong feeling it was Bella – why else would she have risked showing up in Hogsmeade? She probably wanted to use Ginny to get to me, or to find out how much I know about Voldemort's plans or – well, it could be anything."

"Oh," Ron said dumbly. "Er, I'm sorry for what I said, then."

"Forget it," Harry waved him off, sighing tiredly. He took a few steps back from Ginny in the hope it would help his headache and pointed his wand at her. "_Mobilicorpus_," he muttered, barely noticing the impressed look on Rons face. "Let's get her back to the castle, then." 

"Where exactly do we take her?" Ron asked nervously as they reached the castle. Few students were around as the majority were in Hogsmeade and the first and second years tended to stay in the common rooms during Hogsmeade trips.

"Madam Pomfrey," Harry said without hesitation. Whilst they might have been better going to Sirius and Remus, or even McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey was also a logical choice and Harry badly wanted something for his head. The group was silent for the rest of the journey – even Luna didn't have anything to say. Madam Pomfrey was _not_ happy to see them, to say the least.

"Always getting into messes, you lot," she said huffily. "Lay her on the bed, then." Harry carefully lay Ginny down on the bed before he collapsed onto a chair.

"She's only stunned, she'll be alright," Madam Pomfrey said after waving her wand over Ginny. "What have you done to yourself this time, Mr Potter? You looked awfully peaky."

"Headache," Harry gave the matron a very direct look and she nodded in understanding. "She was under the Imperius," he added, glancing at Ginny. "That's why I stunned her."

"It seems to be gone now," Madam Pomfrey frowned and turned back to re-test Ginny. "You must have cancelled it when you stunned her."

"Okay," Harry nodded.

"Do you know who cast the spell, Mr Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked him gently. "That's a very serious crime-"

"I have my suspicions," Harry cut across her. "And it won't do any good to tell the Ministry. She's an Azkaban escapee anyway."

"Alright," Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Don't move," she warned as she headed into her office. 

"What's wrong with your head, Harry?" Hermione asked him softly. "Did Ginny do something under the Imperius?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Funny how you got it around the same time that old hag got Ginny, though," Ron said nervously. Harry smiled slightly.

"If she's only stunned, how come Madam Pomfrey isn't reviving her?" Ron asked, glancing back at his sister.

"She probably wants to make sure the curse is properly flushed from her system first," Harry explained. "Even if she can't pick up on it with her wand, there's a chance it's still there. Lucky for us, a potion was created in the last war against Voldemort to help get rid of it." Harry rolled his eyes as his friends flinched, instantly regretting it as his headache seemed to worsen.

"I read about that," Hermione breathed, her eyes sparkling. "Didn't the old Hogwarts Potions Master create it?"

"Old Slughorn?" Harry asked. "Yeah, he did. Snape's told me about him."

"Of course, he would have taught Snape," Hermione nodded.

"I wonder if he showed as much favouritism as Snape," Ron scowled.

"In a different way," Harry nodded. "He didn't favour his House – he was head of Slytherin – and he didn't pick on those less talented, but he definitely had favourites…" Harry trailed off as he remembered what Snape had told him in his second year. _My mum was one of his favourites._

"Harry!" Harry looked up and smiled as he saw Sirius and Remus coming towards him, Remus carrying a light blue potion. Madam Pomfrey was behind them, looking thoughtfully at Ginny.

"Drink this," Remus instructed as Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Ginny and woke her up. Harry obliged, grimacing at the taste, a feat which caused both his guardians to chuckle. A moment later Ginny had done the same thing and was blinking around in confusion.

"What happened?" the younger Weasley asked with an extremely confused look on her face.

"Was anyone in the bathroom?" Harry asked her quickly.

"I…" Ginny frowned and closed her eyes, scrunching her face up in concentration as she thought about it. "I remember a voice," she said finally. "That's all, though. What happened?"

"Someone put the Imperius Curse on you," Ron told her. "Harry thinks it was…" but Ron trailed off, glancing uneasily at the adults.

"Bellatrix," Harry said softly. He turned to face Sirius and Remus, grateful for the lack of pain in his head now. "We saw her, when we came out of Honeydukes. She Apparated away, though."

"Bella was in Hogsmeade?" Sirius scowled. "It must have been something big, for her to risk getting seen there."

"Did I hurt anyone?" Ginny asked in a small voice, looking both upset and guilty.

"Nah," Harry grinned. "When we were heading back to the castle I figured out what happened and stunned you."

"You lot head back to your common rooms," Sirius told them firmly. "I think we ought to have a chat with Dumbledore," he said, directing the last comment at Remus.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"You okay, Ginny?" Harry asked concernedly as the four Gryffindors reached their common room.

"Fine," came Ginny's rather unconfident voice. Harry shared a glance with Ron and Hermione before giving the password to the Fat Lady. The common room was emptier than usual, what with half the students being at Hogsmeade. Ginny quickly headed up to bed, claiming Madam Pomfrey's potion had made her tired.

"Maybe you should go talk to her, Hermione," Harry suggested worriedly as he and Ron sat down in front of the fire. Harry would talk to her himself, but boys weren't allowed in the girls dormitories. "This has probably reminded her of her first year."

"I didn't even think of that," Hermione admitted softly. "Poor Ginny. I'll go see her, then," Hermione glanced at the two before making her way up to Ginny's dormitory.

"D'you really think it was Bellatrix?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I mean, c'mon – it's an unlikely coincidence, isn't it? Seeing her at Hogsmeade, and then Ginny being cursed. We should've headed back to the castle as soon as we saw her."

"I guess," Ron sighed.

"It's a shame we don't have any proof, though," Harry said softly. Then he snorted. "Not that it'd help. Voldemort would still get his dear little Bella out of Azkaban," he spat in disgust before taking in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "What I want to know is: what did she want Ginny to do?"

"Spy on you? Kidnap you?"

"Spy, maybe," Harry said uncertainly. "Definitely not kidnap, though. Voldemort was pretty pissed when he found out Pettigrew wanted to kidnap me 'early'. I certainly hope I'm not asleep when he decides to punish Pettigrew," Harry finished, almost frightfully. Ron gave him a sympathetic look.

"I reckon we should just be glad you figured it all out before Ginny did something," Ron said finally. "Anything Bellatrix wanted her to do couldn't have been good." Harry was only too inclined to agree.

Hermione came down half an hour later, joining the two boys beside the fire.

"She's asleep," the bushy-haired Gryffindor told them softly.

"How's she holding up?" Harry asked, equally as softly.

"I managed to cheer her up a bit," Hermione smiled slightly. "We should probably keep an eye on her for awhile, though – not spying on her, though!" Hermione finished hastily, correctly interpreting the look on Harry's face.

"What'd I miss?" Ron asked, glancing between the two nervously.

"It doesn't matter," Harry said after a moment's silence. "It's in the past now."

"Okay…" Ron still looked unconvinced, but he carried on anyway. "Well, I'm up for keeping an eye on her. We should probably ask Fred and George to, too. They're good at cheering people up."

"I'll bet," Harry muttered, causing his two friends to laugh slightly.

Ginny was still asleep at dinner time, so after eating their own meals the trio went down to the kitchens to get a plate of Ginny's favourite food from the elves. They left (or rather, _Hermione_ left) it at her bedside with a heating charm on it for when she woke up.

"How're you getting on with the Second Task?" Ron asked later that evening as he and Harry played Wizard chess. Hermione was working on her Arithmancy homework.

"I'm no closer than I was before Christmas," Harry said, letting out an irritated sigh. "I guess it doesn't help that I've been reading less lately."

"What page did you get to?" Hermione asked, glancing up from her homework.

"Three thousand," Harry scowled. "It'd have been a big help if he'd told me what section it was at."

"Who?" Ron frowned. Harry glanced around to make sure no-one was listening before mouthing 'Snape'. He had to fight back the urge to say something snappish to Ron when he saw his friend hastily hide a scowl.

"I can read some more after this, if you'd like," Hermione offered, choosing to ignore Ron's action..

"That'd be great, 'Mione. Thanks," Harry smiled gratefully.

Ginny didn't come down at all that night leaving Harry (and Ron, who was being rather short-tempered as a result) feeling slightly concerned as he headed up early to sleep. He desperately hoped she was okay. He knew what it was like to have events remind you of a dark memory; it happened to him a lot. The tiniest thing could bring back memories of the Dursleys, or bring back that desperate need to cut himself… Harry let out a long breath and clambered into bed, pulling the covers tight around him. _Don't think about that_.

It was raining heavily again the next morning when Harry awoke at six am. He frowned slightly at the time as he had been hoping to have a bit of a lie in today, but dressed himself nevertheless and headed down to the common room. He was surprised to find Ginny down there, curled up on a chair and staring into the fire. He wasn't exactly quiet as he approached, so his concerned frown deepened when she didn't hear him coming.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, touching her shoulder gently. The effect was instantaneous; the redhead jumped and yelped like a frightened cat, pulling her wand out of her pocket as she did so. She had an unfocused look in her eyes as she aimed it at Harry's face. "Ginny!" Harry raised his voice slightly. "It's me – It's Harry."

"Harry?" Ginny blinked, and her eyes focused slightly. "Y-you startled me," she whispered, lowering her wand.

"You were pretty out of it," Harry said candidly.

"Yeah, I guess I was," Ginny agreed softly, dropping heavily back down onto the seat. Harry frowned and sat down on the arm of the chair, letting Ginny rest her head on his leg.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked her in a concerned voice.

"I-I don't know," Ginny answered brokenly. "I thought I was… I couldn't sleep properly, though. I kept seeing _their_ faces. The teenage Riddle… and Bellatrix…"

"It's alright," Harry said soothingly, reaching down to stroke her hair gently as it seemed like the sort of comforting thing Mrs Weasley would do.

"Why do I feel like this?" Ginny asked him distantly. "I'm not an emotional person – I'm not weak. Yet this…"

"Is perfectly normal," Harry concluded gently. "What Riddle did to you was pretty bad. You coped really well with it, too… a lot of people would have needed therapy or something after an ordeal like that." Harry smiled slightly. He had learned the word 'ordeal' from Dumbledore, and he felt rather old saying it. He quickly turned his attention back to Ginny. _What would Mrs Weasley do?_ "What Bellatrix tried to do was pretty similar – both of them wanted to take over your mind, in a way. Of course this is going to bring back memories." Ginny lifted her head off of Harry's leg, letting him see her exceptionally bright eyes, full of unshed tears.

"Thanks, Harry," Ginny whispered softly, sitting up properly so she could hug him.

Hermione and Ron were both up by half seven, which although with Hermione wasn't entirely unusual was a miracle with Ron. Each shot him a questioning glance when they found him still sitting on the arm of the chair, a summoned book in hand and Ginny leaning against his shoulder dozing lightly.

"She needed comforting," Harry explained softly, closing the Quidditch book with a quiet 'snap'. He flicked his wand, sending it zooming back up to his dorm before gently pulling himself away from Ginny, who woke up with a start. "Time for breakfast, Gin," Harry said, plastering a smile on his face. He offered his hand to her and she took it gratefully as the four headed down to the Great Hall.

After breakfast Ginny headed to the library with Luna, each claiming they had homework to finish.

"She seems happier today," Hermione offered after the redhead had left the table.

"Maybe talking about it helped her," Harry shrugged. "She was pretty down in the dumps when I found her this morning, though. I think it's safe to say she's a little unsettled – she said she couldn't sleep properly."

"D'you fancy her?" Ron suddenly blurted, his ears turning red as soon as he'd said it.

"Fancy her?" Harry repeated slowly, a frown etching its way onto his face.

"You keep spending time with her… and you're always comforting her – not that that's a bad thing, mind."

"Ron, she's like a sister to me," Harry said, giving his friend an odd look. "Of course I'm going to comfort her. I'd to the same to you, or Fred and George. Heck, I'd comfort any of my friends who needed it, too."

"She never comes to me for comfort," Ron said softly.

"She doesn't usually _need_ comfort," Harry said evenly. He didn't really want to explain that Ron was usually rather bad at offering comfort… 'emotional range of a teaspoon' Ginny had said once. "I'm sure she'd have let you comfort her, too, if you'd been up early. It's more that I'm usually the one around when she needs it. I can assure you I don't _fancy_ her… like I said, she's like a sister."

"If you say so," Ron sighed heavily. Harry shared a glance with Hermione who could only shrug unhelpfully in response.

The three headed back to the common room after breakfast where Harry continued reading his charm book whilst Hermione and Ron started on their Potions homework that Harry had completed nearer the start of the holidays. Harry lost track of the time as he read, his mind becoming absorbed in the numerous different charms. Eventually, one caught his eye – one that seemed oddly familiar. Eyes sparkling in hope, Harry quickly read the passage and slapped himself on the forehead.

"Crap!" Ron scowled, having knocked over his ink bottle in surprise at Harry's antics. "Harry! What'd you do that for?"

"Because I've been so damn _stupid_!" Harry slapped himself again before waving his wand over Ron's work. A simple incantation later and the spilled ink was back in the bottle. "The Bubblehead Charm – that's what Fleur said. Her spell was a variation of the _Bubblehead Charm_, which I meant to research – I pretty much forgot about it, though."

"I've read about that before," Hermione said, raising her hand to her mouth. "Just in passing… that's a NEWT level spell. Oh, I'm sorry Harry. If I'd remembered…"

"No-one's perfect, Hermione," Harry told her gently. "Don't worry about it. I think I made the bigger mistake – if I'd thought to research it…"

"How about both of you stop blaming yourselves?" Ron suggested with a roll of the eyes, causing Harry and Hermione to laugh.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

School started again the next day and Harry, as always, was the first one up. He smiled as he descended the stairs to the common room, pleased to see Ginny was still in her own dorm. He had managed to corner Luna yesterday evening just before his training with Snape and had asked her to keep an eye on Ginny. Luna, knowing all about Ginny's first year, had readily agreed.

Heavy rain lashed the windows as Harry strolled lazily through the corridors to kill time. He was tempted to go visit his guardians or Snape, but having talked to them only last night he wasn't sure what they could possibly talk about today. It wasn't as if anything had happened between nine last night and the present.

As he was passing a window, Harry happened to glance out and spot the giant form of Hagrid on the grounds. He watched Hagrid in the rain for a few moments before he carried on with a shudder. He definitely wasn't looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures today.

When, at seven o'clock, Harry became tired of walking, the black-haired boy headed into an empty classroom and pulled out his wand. He hadn't had much of a chance to practice the Bubblehead Charm last night and he knew he needed all the practice he could get if he was to cast the spell properly by the time of the Second Task. By the time he was ready for breakfast, all he had managed was to conjure a _very_ weak bubble around a scrunched up ball of paper. His friends were already at the Great Hall when he arrived and Harry dropped gratefully into the empty space beside Ron, instantly grabbing some toast to help quieten his noisy stomach.

"Where've you been, mate?" Ron asked him after a moment.

"Here and there," Harry grinned. "I took a morning stroll around the castle. Very peaceful without all the students crowding them," he told them brightly. "Oh. I practiced the Bubblehead Charm, too," he added.

"How is it?" Hermione asked him.

"Hard," Harry bit into his toast and swallowed before continuing. "I'm seriously going to need all the practice I can get. _Then_ I'll have to make sure I can cast that and a few other spells non-verbally."

"It's a lot of stress for a fourteen year old," Hermione said nervously.

"I'll cope," Harry shrugged. "I always do," he added darkly.

It wasn't until Harry was halfway to Divination with Ron that another thought hit him, nearly making him slap his head again. He managed to hold himself back before Ron noticed anything, though, and made a mental note to talk to his friends about it later. _Thank you, Dursleys_, Harry thought sarcastically.

Divination was as irritating as ever and Care of Magical Creatures left everyone soaked to the bone. Potions was okay, though. Ginny seemed almost back to normal at dinner, something that pleased Harry, Ron and Hermione immensely.

"Okay," Harry said finally, sitting down his fork and knife. "Do any of you lot know how to swim?" The three nodded, and Harry smiled. "I don't. The Dursleys never paid for me to get lessons…" Harry shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. "Anyway, I need to learn for the Second Task. Anyone feel like helping?"

And so, two hours later, the four Gryffindors were in the Room of Requirements with a large pool in front of them. They each clambered in, pleasantly surprised to find the water warm on their skin.

"Well, the first thing I got taught was to get used to the water," Hermione offered eventually. "The instructor had me go under the water several times to get used to having it on my face… then he had me open my eyes, to see if I needed goggles or not."

"I doubt the goggles part matters for now," Harry said matter-of-factly. "The Charm will keep the water away from my eyes." He did, however, go under the water, eventually opening his eyes. Hermione had charmed his glasses with the same water-repelling spell from last years Quidditch match, allowing him to see perfectly.

"I think the next part is floating, right?" Ginny asked thoughtfully.

"That's how we learned," Ron nodded his agreement. Hermione glanced at the two before closing her eyes, opening them a moment later to find a foamy float in front of her.

"Use this," she said, pushing the float over to Harry. "You need to hold on to it and get your whole body to float on the water surface. Once you can do that, we'll try it without the float."

They were in the Room of Requirements for nearly two hours before, wrinkled and exhausted, the four dried themselves and got back into their clothes. Harry had made good process, according to Hermione, and would be able to swim within a couple of weeks if they practiced every second day. Whilst Harry wasn't sure he liked the idea of extra stress, he was grateful to his friends for helping him. He would have looked like a right idiot if he had turned up on the 24th of February unable to swim. Harry bid goodnight to the others almost as soon as they returned to the Tower, tired beyond belief.

Harry didn't wake up until quarter to seven the next morning, yet more proof of how tiring learning to swim had been. Glancing over at Ron's snoring figure, Harry smiled fondly and pulled a book out of his trunk, deciding to wait for the redhead to wake up before he went down for breakfast.

The first class of the day was Charms. The lesson was fairly easy as it was a continuation of the previous lesson for those who hadn't gotten the hang of the Silencing Charm – a spell Harry had learned the previous year. He and Hermione focused on helping Ron, who seemed to be having a bit of trouble with it. When the bell went, Harry urged Ron and Hermione on, telling them he'd catch up in a minute. As soon as they were gone, he walked over to Professor Flitwick and took a deep breath…

"Sorry I'm late, Professor!" Harry apologised, skidding into the Defence classroom.

"Have a seat, Potter," Moody growled, giving no other acknowledgement. Harry did so, dropping into the seat beside Ron. He could tell his friends wanted to know what he had been doing, but didn't dare ask him during Moody's lecture.

"As I was saying," Moody said in a gruff voice. "Most variations of the Protego charm are not taught until OWL and NEWT level. A single mistake can result in you draining far more energy than needed, leaving you at a disadvantage…" Harry let his thoughts override Moody's words, having already received the same lecture from both Snape and Remus. The simplest variation of the Protego charm was a simple flick with the incantation, though there were several more advanced ones. Using fancier wand movements could create a stronger shield, though the strongest by far was 'Protego Maximus' which needed rather sharp, skilful wand movements _and_ good concentration, as the caster had to imagine pushing all their energy into the shield. Harry was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard chairs scraping across the ground and realized they were supposed to be practicing the spell. Harry smiled as he, Ron, Hermione and Neville gathered into their usual group and started.

After a relaxing lunch, the trio headed towards the most boring class Hogwarts had to offer: History of Magic. The three slipped into their usual seats and Hermione instantly had parchment, a quill and ink out, ready to take notes. Harry and Ron simply slumped in their chairs, fully prepared to slip into 'daydream mode'. Hermione gave them disapproving glances but otherwise ignored their antics – indeed, she couldn't really say much as over half the class were currently doing the very same thing.

As Binns droned on, many students found themselves falling asleep. Harry usually tried to resist sleeping in Binns class, but he felt oddly relaxed, and a strange buzzing at the window was helping lull his mind into unconsciousness. It wasn't long before Harry felt his eyes drooping closed.

****

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Harry was sitting in yet another new room. This one had a rich, deep purple-coloured carpet and several leather sofas. A large fire was burning, cackling away at one side of the room. There were no bookcases this time; indeed, aside from the sofas, the room was rather bare. The colours made it cosy, though. Not that Harry cared – he much preferred dark, cold colours. The location had not been his idea, though he was running out of houses. He had to swap every few weeks to keep from being discovered, and he did not yet have all his followers back, leaving several of his old safe houses out of the question.

A loud knock at the door brought Harry out of his musings and a moment later his most faithful, Bella, entered. She was soon followed by Pettigrew and Davies.

"We are sorry for the delay, My Lord," Bella said sincerely as she bowed to Harry. "Not everything went to plan. We ended up battling some of the Aurors."

"No harm done," Harry said coolly. "I daresay a few of my followers were getting restless. Perhaps this will help, for awhile." Bella didn't say anything and quickly left the room, leaving Harry alone with Peter Pettigrew and Billy Davies.

"You have disappointed me greatly," Harry said in a soft, cold tone as he fingered his wand fondly. "I should be able to trust my followers."

"M-My Lord," Peter stuttered. "W-we only w-wanted t-to help, My L-Lord."

"Silence, Peter," Harry said coldly. "If I wanted the boy early, I would have sent far higher skilled wizards than you. Both of you have brought unneeded attention to myself, and you are _incredibly_ lucky I have a spy in the Ministry who was able to delay the Veritaserum interrogation or you would be dead by now." Both of the men in front of him flinched, though Peter was by far the most terrified. "However," Harry continued coldly. "As we are still safe, I think I shall settle for watching you suffer." An amazing amount of hate and anger, an almost _impossible_ amount of hate and anger, rose up in Harry as he pointed his wand at his two followers. "_Crucio_!"

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry woke up and though he felt himself screaming, he couldn't _hear_ anything. As soon as he had himself back under control he found Hermione's wand pointing at him, the look of concentration on her face showing she had cast a Silencing Charm on him. Seeing he was awake, she quickly lifted the spell.

"You okay?" Ron asked him in a low tone. "You started getting restless and we thought…"

"Thanks," Harry croaked gratefully. He certainly didn't want the whole class looking at him like he was psychotic.

"Do you need to go see Sirius and Remus?" Hermione asked softly. When Harry nodded, she turned to Ron and mouthed 'take him'. Harry rolled his eyes at their behaviour, but couldn't stop the feeling of gratefulness that rose up inside him.

"Er, Professor?" Ron called out nervously. The few members of the class who were still awake turned to look at the redhead curiously. Binns himself looked up in surprise, not used to his classes being disrupted.

"Yes, Mr Weasley?" the ghost asked.

"Harry's not feeling to great… would it be- er- alright if I took him to the Hospital Wing?"

"Yes, yes, off you go," Binns said distractedly. Ron took a tight grip of Harry's upper arm as the two stood up and with a whispered '_I'll be back_' the two exited the classroom.

"What happened?" Ron asked Harry as the two worked their way slowly towards the Marauder Quarters.

"Voldemort got Wormtail and Davies," Harry told his friend, rolling his eyes at Rons wince and instantly regretting it as it made his dizziness worse.

"Ouch," Ron said sympathetically.

"Bloody ouch," Harry agreed candidly. The two soon arrived at a set of stairs and Harry winced as he looked at them.

"I can float you down, if you want," Ron offered.

"I'll manage," Harry shook his head. He pulled his arm out of Rons grip and worked his way down the stairs, feeling very pleased with himself as he reached the bottom without falling.

Thankfully, after the stairs they didn't have far to go and they soon arrived at the Marauder Quarters. By then Ron was supported most of Harry's weight and the redhead looked more than a little grateful to finally have arrived at their destination.

"Harry!" Remus was over to the two the instant Ron opened the door and quickly relieved Ron of the extra weight. "What – did you have another vision?"

"Yeah," Harry said in a dry voice, letting Remus lie him down on the sofa. "Where's Padfoot?" he asked, noticing the lack of his godfather.

"Talking with Dumbledore," Remus told him as he moved away to collect the potions Harry needed. "Get some rest now, cub," Remus told him gently after helping Harry swallow the potions. "We can talk about the vision later." Harry was only too grateful to comply as the potions made his head feel extremely heavy. He was asleep within a minute.

Harry awoke to find Sirius conjuring numerous brightly-coloured bubbles, successfully irritating Remus who was attempting to read a book on '_Transfiguration for the Advanced'_. When a large, bright orange bubble came floating towards Harry's face he scowled at it and reached out to slap it, raising an eyebrow when instead of popping, it bounced off his hand.

"You're awake!" Sirius grinned. He waved his wand and all the bubbles flew over to Remus, not allowing the man to get off his seat.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed, exasperated.

"How're you feeling, kiddo?" Sirius asked, ignoring Remus as he helped Harry sit up.

"Fine," Harry said, just barely holding back a yawn. "I don't think Moony's too happy, though."

"Spoilsport," Sirius scolded, but the smile on his face took the sting out of it. A minute later, all the bubbles were gone and Remus was able to join Sirius in sitting next to Harry.

"What're you so happy about anyway?" Harry asked his guardian curiously.

"Dumbledore finally relented," Sirius grinned. "I've been getting on at him for months, now, and I've finally gotten through to him. He says we're allowed to help you with this bloody Tournament… apparently he found some sort of loophole in the rules. Not that he explained any of that to me, of course."

"He couldn't have found it earlier, could he?" Harry scowled. "He waits until I've pretty much sussed out the Second Task."

"It isn't Dumbledores fault, Harry," Remus chided him gently, though the man was looking more at Sirius as he said it. The blue-eyed dog Animagus simply rolled his eyes.

"I know," Harry said softly. He let out a long sigh before looking up at his guardians. "I guess you'll want to know about the vision, now." His guardians nodded. Harry glanced down at his knees as he thought back to it, trying to remember something other than the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. He felt a comforting hand being placed on his shoulder, but wasn't sure whose hand it was. "Not much actually happened," he said eventually. "It was more punishment than anything. He got Wormtail and Davies back… he was pretty pissed off… I could feel his anger," Harry shivered. "I had no idea it was possible to feel that angry."

"Voldemorts a pretty dark person, Harry," Sirius told him gently. "He feels enough anger and hate for a thousand men."

"You can say that again," Harry rolled his eyes.

Harry's stomach growling nearly ten minutes later told him it was time for dinner. After spending a good five minutes reassuring his guardians he felt fine now, Harry finally bid the two goodbye and headed to the Great Hall for dinner. Ginny and Ron had saved a seat between them for Harry, which he took gratefully.

"You feeling better, mate?" Ron asked him, a hint of concern colouring his voice.

"Yeah," Harry smiled. "Just hungry," he added as his stomach growled. Even Hermione smiled slightly at this.

"You certainly look better," the bushy-haired girl smiled softly. "You were really pale before…"

"You could be too, if you-" but Harry bit his tongue before he finished, realizing he'd just make Hermione feel bad. "Let's just say being in Voldemorts head," he rolled his eyes at the winces of Ron and Ginny, "isn't exactly an enjoyable experience."

"I'll bet," Ron muttered.

"Hey," Harry said suddenly as the four headed back to Gryffindor Tower after dinner. "I never told you – Sirius and Remus can help me with the Tasks now! That's why Sirius kept going off to talk to Professor Dumbledore!" 

"Really?" Hermione questioned curiously. "I thought-"

"He's found a loophole," Harry correctly interpreted Hermione's thoughts.

"Took him long enough," Ron grinned. Harry shrugged.

"At least he found one," Harry said softly. "Though I'll admit it would have been a hell of a lot easier if I'd had their help before, too."

"At least they can help you with the Bubblehead Charm now," Ginny said brightly. "And with whatever the Third Task is."

And help Harry the Marauders did. Sirius and Remus both added learning the charm into their training sessions with Harry and the results soon appeared; whilst he had yet to master the charm properly his 'bubbles' were certainly a lot larger and more effective. The next few weeks passed pretty quickly for Harry who spent most of his time trying to master both the Bubblehead Charm and some extra non-verbal spells. By the time the 18th of February, a Hogsmeade Saturday, rolled by he was eager to get away from the school and relax for a bit.

Fleur and Viktor joined the group of friends as they left the school on Saturday, the older students claiming they wanted to buy some new books. Harry knew from Cho, however, that the two were only really coming because they were worried about Harry after the mess with Bellatrix on the last trip. The thought made him feel warm inside. Even after having Sirius and Remus as guardians for the past six or seven months – and after having great friends for all his years at Hogwarts – he still found it hard to believe, sometimes, that people could care so deeply about him. The feeling didn't come as often, though, so Harry felt confident it would disappear completely one day. _Damn you, Dursleys_.

Thankfully, nothing serious happened, unless you counted Draco Malfoy trying to start a fight with them at the Shrieking Shack. The group were, one again, making their traditional trip to Remus' old hideout when they heard a group of teens approaching them.

"Well, well, well," Malfoy sneered. "The Potty, the Weasel and the Mudblood. Mustn't forget the slut and the queer girl," he added, glaring at Ginny and Luna. He hadn't noticed Fleur and Viktor who had been walking around the building slightly – well, as far as was possible.

"Those names are getting old now, Malfoy," Harry said in a bored tone. "Maybe instead of terrorising the first years you could try putting your brain to use."

"At least I have a brain," Malfoy scowled at Harry.

"You learn something new every day," Ron quoted to Harry with a snicker.

"What was that, weasel?" Malfoy asked, face flushing as Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly.

"I do believe eet was a- what do you call eet?- a 'diss'," came Fleur's soft voice as she and Viktor rejoined the group. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle all paled simultaneously as they noticed the two older students.

"Come on," Malfoy said coolly to his cronies. "Let's get out of here before we catch a disease."

"Are they always so cowardly?" Viktor asked sounding slightly amused after the three Slytherins had left.

"Usually even more so," Ginny agreed with a smile.

This time, the group were one of the last groups to return to Hogwarts. Hermione had taken it upon herself to be a tour conductor, pointing out the attractions of the village for Viktor and Fleur and feeding them the dozens of facts she had learned through books. Whilst Viktor seemed genuinely interested, Harry could tell Fleur was only going along with it to keep Hermione happy, for which he was grateful. Harry, Ginny and Ron lagged to the back of the group having heard all the facts from Hermione before and soon began a game of 'I Spy'.

It was rather dark by the time they started heading back, and Hogsmeade was pretty empty. It was creepy, in a way, but Harry tried not to let it get to him. Even his luck couldn't be bad enough for something to happen two trips in a row, right?

Thankfully, they made it back to the castle without incident and, after bidding goodbye to Luna, Fleur and Viktor, the four cold Gryffindors headed up to their Tower, eager to warm up in front of the fire and finish their homework. Harry, whose mind had drifted back to the looming Second Task, ended up having Hermione do half his essay for him as he found it impossible to concentrate on it. Finally, he dropped his things with a sigh and stood up.

"I'm going to bed," he told them softly. "I- I can't think straight, not when the Task is so soon…" his friends simply gave him sympathetic gazes as he picked his way through the busy common room and up into his dorm. His dreams that night were of him battling giant undersea creatures as he fought to receive his wand from an evil Grindylow.

The next few days passed agonizingly fast as time once again became Harry's enemy. Despite being as prepared as possible Harry couldn't help but dread the ever-nearing Second Task. Oh, he didn't care if he _won_. He'd never wanted to be in the damn Tournament in the first place. He was worried about what would happen once he was underwater. He'd been fine whilst he was learning with his friends, but on a whole he wasn't too fond of water… especially cold water, as the lake was bound to be. Yet another result of his time with the Dursleys. Harry closed his eyes as he tried to push away the memories of his ice-cold baths as a child, wincing when he opened them to find Ron and Hermione gazing at him concernedly whilst the rest of the class carried on trying to transfigure their feathers. He'd been zoning out on them rather a lot lately.

Even pushing that aside, Harry had no idea what was inside the lake. The Giant Squid, Merfolk and Grindylows were all well-known creatures who inhabited the lake, but he was pretty certain there had to be a whole lot of other creatures in a lake as vast as the one at Hogwarts. Harry had resorted to learning numerous offensive spells and hexes in the hopes they could come in useful if he was attacked.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class Harry jumped rather high, causing Ron to snort. Hermione glowered at the redhead but Harry didn't mind too much. Harry was just getting ready to follow his friends out the door when Professor McGonagall called him back.

"On you go," Harry told his friends with a sigh. "I'll catch up," he reassured them before walking softly to stand in front of Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Yes, Professor?" McGonagall didn't reply for a moment, not even glancing up at him as she scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment. When at last she was finished, she looked up at Harry with an odd expression.

"Are you alright, Harry?" the head of Gryffindor asked, and Harry started at her using his first time. When Harry just looked at her blankly, McGonagall sighed and elaborated. "You haven't been doing as well in class and your homework is noticeably poorer than usual," she told him gently.

"I've been concentrating on the Second Task," Harry told her tonelessly. "Nothing's wrong, Professor, I'd just rather concentrate on surviving this Task than doing my homework properly."

"How _are_ you doing with the Task?"

"Fine," Harry shrugged. "There's not much more I can do – I'm as prepared as I'll ever be. It's just hard to concentrate on other things."

"I see," McGonagall gave him a rare, thin smile. "In that case, off you go. I won't hold you back from your next class any longer."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

By the time Friday rolled around, Harry had began skipping meals again. He was careful to make up lies about getting food from the kitchens, not wanting to have his friends and guardians jumping on his back about it. Besides, as soon as the Task was over he fully planned on feasting in a celebration – and if that wasn't enough, Fred and George were planning on throwing a party for him, too.

After bidding goodbye to his friends and guardians, receiving hugs from the latter and his female friends, Harry left the school at five past nine and headed down to the lake where the other Champions, Madam Maxime, Karkaroff, Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman and- _Percy Weasley?_- were waiting. He didn't pay much attention as Ludo gave them a quick pep talk and only looked up when Ludo left with the other adults leaving the Champions to chat amongst themselves.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Cedric asked, peering down at him. "You look ill."

"I don't think any of us feel too great right now," Harry said, offering his friends a tight smile.

"'Arry's right," said Fleur, whose face had a definite greenish tinge to it.

"I had no idea how nerve-wracking these Tasks vould be when I entered the Tournament," Viktor agreed. The Bulgarian didn't look too bad; just a little paler as usual, as was Cedric.

The four champions didn't talk much as they stood at the edge of the lake nervously avoiding the gazes of the students coming down from the castle to watch. Bagman had reappeared once to place some charms on them, but Harry hadn't paid much attention to what they were for. Before Harry knew it, Ludo was clearing his voice and with a muttered '_Sonorous_' his voice could be heard all across the grounds.

"Welcome, everybody, to the Second Task!" Ludo said brightly and clearly with a large, silly-looking grin on his face. "All of our Champions are now ready for the Task, which will start when I blow my whistle. You will be able to watch them up there," Ludo pointed to a large screen hovering in midair which currently had four sections, each one displaying one of the Champions standing by the lake. _Must have been what those charms were for_, "and I wish you all the very best of luck," Bagman finished, turning to smile at the Champions. He pulled a small, silver whistle up to his lips and counted down in a booming voice before blowing it, a sharp sound that carried around the whole of the grounds. Barely even glancing at his friends, Harry quickly transfigured his clothes into a pair of swimming trunks, cast a Warming Charm on himself and cast the Bubblehead Charm on himself before diving into the murky water.

Harry kept his eyes closed for the first minute or so of swimming, trying desperately to push away the almost overwhelming memories of his childhood… _freezing cold baths… being burned by the water…get a hold of yourself, Harry!_ Forcing his eyes open, Harry took a deep breath and, after checking he had a tight grip of his wand, continued on swimming.

It was a wonder any of the spectators could see the Champions, really, Harry thought. He was finding it pretty damn hard to see anything in the dark depths of the lake. He had barely been in five minutes and already he could hardly see anything; everything both in front and behind of him was pitch dark. Shivering slightly, he gave a whispered 'Lumos' and smiled in relief when a bright light appeared – just in time to show a lone Grindylow coming towards him. Thinking fast, Harry delivered a stream of boiling bubbles at the water-demon. The Grindylow let out a furious squeal as it's body turned red from the heat before swimming away from Harry, obviously deciding to pick on an easier target.

Harry didn't run into anything else for awhile aside from small packs of fish. The quiet darkness of the lake was starting to get at him, causing goose bumps to appear all over his body. When he realized he didn't know if he was swimming in the right direction or not, Harry whispered "Point me to my direction," before letting his wand float in front of him. It was a spell Remus had created in the last war against Voldemort and had taught to Harry during the Summer, explaining it would come in very handy. It was really just a variation of the basic 'Point Me' spell that would point the caster North. The wand spun to point North-East and Harry took his wand again before continuing on. The darkness seemed to go on forever, as did the defeaning silence… and then he heard it. A familiar melodic sound, calling out to him, leading him to where he needed to be.

'_Come seek us where our voices sound'_

Harry instantly redoubled his efforts, wanting to reach there as fast as he could.

'_We cannot sing about the ground' _

He had to reach there soon, right?

'_And while you're searching, ponder this' _

He really didn't like the water, even if he was mostly pushing away his childhood memories.

'_We've taken what you'll sorely miss' _

He hadn't even talked to Sirius and Remus about that. Well, to be honest, he hadn't thought about it much until the past few days.

'_An hour long you'll have to look' _

Well, no doubt he'd end up talking to them soon when he had nightmares again…

'_And to recover what we took' _

There! That looked like roofs, didn't it?

'_But past an hour the prospects black' _

Definitely. Oh, it was a village… he could see Merfolk with greyish skin, long dark green hair… bright, calculating yellow eyes…

'_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back' _

A Mer-village. He hadn't expected to find _that_, although he supposed it should have been obvious. He definitely seemed to be going in the right direction, though.

Harry was wary, keeping a tight hold on his wand as he swam past the Merfolk. It wasn't that they looked suspicious or dangerous, but their spears did look awfully sharp. He caught sight of a sudden movement up ahead and frowned when he saw a group of Merfolk gathered up ahead. He quickly swam towards them and raised an eyebrow when he saw four people tied up: Ron, Hermione, Cho and a little girl with silvery-blonde hair who had to be related to Fleur. The Merfolk parted to let Harry pass as he approached, and he glanced at the four people tied up in front of him. Fleur had to collect the little girl, obviously… Cedric would collect Cho, she was his girlfriend. Ron had to be for him – Ron and Viktor didn't get on well… _does Viktor have a crush on 'Mione?_ Harry thought, a little surprised. Shaking the thought out of his head, Harry made a slashing movement with his wand and cut the rope that was holding Ron to the large, wooden pole.

The journey back was a lot harder than swimming down to the bottom. Whilst Ron wasn't an overweight person his height let him carry a lot of weight and Harry was struggling to swim them both to the surface. When he was barely above the village, he actually ended up dropping Ron as he saw a shark coming towards them. By the time he had grabbed a hold of Ron again and held his wand protectively in front of him, he realizing the shark was waving at him… with human hands. Harry snorted when he finally realized it was Viktor in front of him, the Bulgarian having transfigured his head into a shark head. Harry waved back to Viktor before carrying on, wanting to get out of the water again as fast as was humanly possible. It wasn't to happen, though.

Just as Harry started to see light above him he felt a pair of strong hands grab his ankle, soon joined by a pair of hands grabbing his other. Peering down, he found a group of Grindylows swimming towards him. Knowing he couldn't get rid of them _and_ keep a good grip on Ron, Harry gave his friend one almighty push up before aiming his wand at him and using magic to send his friend up to the surface of the water where he would at least hopefully float rather than sink back down. That done, he groaned as he realized more Grindylows had attached themselves to him, their sharp fingernails cutting into his bare legs. Wincing as he managed to shake one of them off, Harry pointed his wand at them and used the same spell he'd used on the first Grindylow, being especially careful not to burn his _own_ legs with it. It took forever, and Harry's legs were aching and bleeding freely by the time he was free, but he eventually got rid of them all and swam quickly up to the surface. Once there he removed the Bubblehead Charm and took in deep breaths of the cool air that felt so much better than the air generated inside the Bubblehead Charm.

After a moment he realized Ron was pulling him towards the land again.

"I can swim," Harry said quickly, pulling his arm away from Ron so they could swim faster. "When'd you wake up?"

"As soon as my head got above water," Ron told him. "What took you so long? I was awake for nearly ten minutes before you came up! I would've come down, but I don't have my wand on me…"

"It's okay," Harry assured his friend. "A group of Grindylows caught me by surprise." His friend frowned slightly but didn't say anything as they had just reached the grounds again. Harry eagerly pulled himself out of the water, glad to be escaping it.

"You're bleeding!" Ron gasped, staring at Harry's legs. Huge gashes covered them; the cuts were apparently worse than Harry had originally thought.

"They had sharp nails," Harry said by way of explanation as Madam Pomfrey hurried over to them and bustled them inside a First Aid tent.

"Sit still," Madam Pomfrey ordered as she pushed Harry gently onto a bed. Harry rolled his eyes as he obeyed. The Hogwarts matron waved her wand over Harry a few times before tapping each of his legs, healing the cuts instantly – though his legs were still a little sore.

"They'll be painful for awhile," Pomfrey explained. "There isn't much I can do for that, I'm afraid. Now drink this up – _both_ of you," she ordered, handing them both some Pepper-Up Potion. The effect was instantaneous; Harry felt most of his energy returning to him. After checking there was nothing else that needed fixing, Madam Pomfrey left the tent to wait on the other Champions.

"What's Percy doing here?" Harry asked, turning to Ron curiously.

"Apparently old Crouch has been off work ill," Ron said with a grin. "I think it's more like he's too ashamed to show his face – first he finds his son has been posing as a teacher at Hogwarts and _then_ he was forced to get rid of his House-Elf."

"He got rid of his House-Elf?"

"Yeah, dunno why though," Ron shrugged. "Percy's been taking over for him at work, though, since he was Crouches personal assistant. 'If anyone knows how Crouch likes things done, it's me'". Harry had to laugh at Ron's impersonation of his older brother but it soon died when a rather tired looking Fleur entered with the little girl.

"Sit," Pomfrey ordered, having followed the two in. The two girls obeyed, sitting side by side on one of the beds where Pomfrey tended to Fleurs injuries and, as with Harry and Ron, gave them Pepper-Up Potion.

"Ze Grindeelows attacked me," Fleur explained after Madam Pomfrey had left.

"They got me, too," Harry smiled. "Fierce little buggers, aren't they?"

"Yes," Fleur nodded. "Gabrielle, zees ees 'Arry Potter and Ronald Weasley-"

"Just 'Ron' will do," Ron said in a loud voice, causing the other three occupants to smile slightly.

"'Arry, Ron, zees ees my leetle seester, Gabrielle."

"Hello," Harry said brightly, and Gabrielle blushed slightly.

It wasn't long before Cedric, Cho, Viktor and Hermione arrived and, after the newest arrivals had been treated by Madam Pomfrey, they were all led outside to where the judges were conversing amongst themselves and the Merfolk. When the Champions arrived, Dumbledore – who appeared to speak Mermish – finished the conversation off quite suddenly and Bagman turned to beam at them all. His voice already had 'Sonorus' cast on it – or, perhaps, he had never removed it – and he began speaking, his booming voice echoing slightly around the now silent crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bagman boomed. "The judges have reached a decision. As Mr Potter was the first to return with his hostage and arrived back within fifty-six minutes, he receives fifty points." Bagman was forced to break off here as most of the crowd cheered loudly. Harry felt his stomach drop. _Full marks? I don't want to be in first place!_ Bagman's loud voice brought Harry out of his thoughts again.

"Miss Delacour was second to return and arrived within fifty-nine minutes, therefore we award her forty-eight points." The crowd cheered again before Bagman continued. "Mr Krum was third and arrived three minutes outside the time limit, therefore we award him forty-two points," the crowd cheered again, "And Mr Diggory arrived last, nearly six minutes outside the time limit. We award him forty points."

Bagman held a short meeting after the Task again to give them the needed information on the Third Task – not that they learned much.

"The Third, and final, Task will take place on the 24th of June," Bagman informed them brightly. "You'll find out the specific details of it precisely a month beforehand – the 24th of May, that is. For now, all I can safely say is that it will be easier in some ways yet more challenging in others than either of the first two Tasks. Now, I believe that's everything out of the way… if you'll excuse me, I believe Albus wants a word."

Despite the Pepper-Up Potion he had been given by Madam Pomfrey, Harry felt exhausted after the Task and was more than ready for a nap. Telling Ron to apologise to Fred and George for him Harry left with Sirius and Remus who each held one of his arms to keep him steady.

"You've been skipping meals again," came Sirius' voice. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"I was too nervous to eat-"

"I'm not going to get mad," Sirius cut across him softly. "We're going to have to get you fed up again, though. You'll end up catching something if you leave your body weak like that during winter."

"I thought Moony was the clever one," Harry grinned, and Sirius mock-scowled.

When they reached Marauder Quarters Harry dropped gratefully onto the couch, not even wanting to make the effort to his own bedroom. After glancing at Sirius, who shrugged unhelpfully, Remus conjured a blanket and wrapped Harry tightly in it.

"Sleep well, cub. You did a great job today."

"Yeah, we're proud of you, kiddo," Sirius ruffled Harry's hair gently before pressing a light kiss to his head. "What's that muggle saying? Oh, right- sweet dreams."

* * *

Chapter 12 : ) It's not betad; Roxy's been rather busy with school lately. Sorry for the delay... and sorry, Roxy, for not waiting longer. I just badly wanted this chapter up, like I explained in the e-mail. : )

The whole story is complete. It's just a matter of getting the final chapters (there's fifteen in total) betad and posted. If anyone wants to help out in betaing the final three chapters- give Roxy a bit less work to do- let me know.

As always, don't forget to R&R. Hopefully the next chapter will be up quicker. : )

Edit; just so you know, I did try to add 'three big spaces' between new paragraphs for easier reading. In fact, I tried three times. Every time, though, the 'big spaces' disappear as soon as I save the fricken thing. So, naturally, having spent 20 minutes trying to get it to work, and failing miserably, I'm not a happy bunny. Therefor, tough luck, you're going to have to deal with everything being clumped together. I tried, FF doesn't want to cooperate, it isn't my fault. End of.


	14. Return of Crouch Sr

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 13

_Harry was six years old. His Aunt had had him weeding the garden all morning leaving him tired, aching… and absolutely covered in mud. _

_"Bath time," his Aunt had announced coolly. She dragged an extremely reluctant Harry to the bathroom where she already had the water ready. _

_"Clothes off. You've got ten minutes to wash yourself." Harry very reluctantly undressed and slipped into the bath, unable to hold in a small cry as he felt himself freezing. He knew he had to wash, though; his Uncle hadn't been happy last time he tried to avoid the freezing water… _

_ He was eight, now. After spilling a cup of hot coffee all over his uncle, the older man had completely lost it. _

_"Let's see how much you like hot water, then!" Vernon snarled. He physically forced Harry into a boiling hot bath which burned at his skin, leaving it bright red… the skin even started bleeding, at some places- _

"Harry, wake up! It's only a dream- Harry!" someone was shaking him. _Shaking me?_ Harry groggily opened his eyes to find Sirius and Remus kneeling worriedly in front of him.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled. Sirius and Remus glanced uneasily at each other before Sirius pulled Harry into a bone-crushing hug.

"How many times do we need to say it, kiddo?" Sirius asked softly. "You do _not_ need to apologise for having nightmares. What'd those bastards do to you?"

"What?" Harry stiffened in Sirius' arms.

"You were asking your aunt and uncle to stop, Harry," Remus said, a little uneasily. Actually, it sounded like he was trying extremely hard not to let anger shine through in his voice. "You sounded like you were in pain."

" Bath time," Harry said softly, forcing his body to relax in Sirius' embrace. "The lake reminded me of it," he explained, sighing a little. His legs were itching slightly, begging for a knife… a sharp quill… his nails… _stop it, Harry!_ He pulled himself away from Sirius and kept his hands clasped firmly on his lap, earning odd looks from Sirius and Remus. They shared another uneasy glance when understanding dawned in their eyes.

"What happened during bath time?" Sirius asked him gently, clasping one of his larger hands over Harry's two smaller ones whilst Remus laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Not much," Harry shrugged, though it felt robotic. "They just didn't see the point in wasting time to run a _warm_ bath. If it wasn't ice-cold it was boiling hot."

"And you call that 'not much'," said Sirius, shaking his head sadly.

"I thought you seemed a little uneasy in the lake," Remus said sympathetically. "I thought it was just nerves."

"Partly," Harry nodded. "I'm okay, you know," he said, trying to reassure a rather worried-looking Sirius.

"Yeah, that's why you're fighting the urge to hurt yourself again," the older man said, glancing at Harry's hands clasped under his. Harry winced at the bluntness of Sirius' statement.

"Sirius!" Remus scolded harshly before squeezing Harry's shoulder. "You still look tired, cub. Do you want to sleep again?"

"Might as well get up," said Harry, shaking his head.

"A walk, then?" Remus suggested.

"A walk sounds good," Harry said uncertainly. _He probably just doesn't want me going off on my own… won't want me 'succumbing to temptation'. _

Before Harry even had the chance to stand up, Sirius was handing him a jacket and leading him out the door.

"Wait," Harry paused and held his hand up, palm facing outwards. "_Accio_, wand," he called out, nodding satisfactory as his hand closed around the thin wooden rod. It was a lot easier to cast spells with his wand. "Okay," he said, letting Sirius push him through the door.

His two guardians were oddly silent as the three walked through the eerily empty halls – where exactly were all the students? As they passed the Great Hall the answer came to Harry pretty easily. They were all at dinner.

The outside air was pleasantly cool on Harry's face as they slipped through the double doors that served as an entrance to the school.

"Are you two planning on talking at all?" Harry finally asked, exasperated as he turned to face his quiet guardians.

"We were waiting for you to talk first," Sirius admitted.

"Well, usually when I walk I'm quiet - unless I'm with Fleur, anyway. Hard to be quiet when she's around. If you want to talk, though, go ahead. It's strange being around a quiet Sirius."

"We're just worried about you, cub," Remus told him gently.

"What, because I had a nightmare? It's nothing new," Harry said the last sentence a little bitterly.

"That's exactly it!" Sirius exclaimed. "You're having them far too often - this Tournament you've been plunged into is stressful enough on its own without adding a lack of sleep to it… you need to talk about it, kiddo, to get rid of the nightmares. We've been pretty lenient on you; we didn't make you talk about it during the summer, and we haven't forced the issue all year, but I think it's about time you _do_ talk about it."

"What if I don't want to talk about it?" Harry asked his guardian coolly. "What if I'm happy just trying to forget about it all?"

"Forgetting just makes it harder when you're forced to remember," came Sirius' reply.

"You'll never be truly happy when you're in denial, Harry," Remus said gently. "Trust me; I should know."

"I'm not like you!" Harry said hotly. "I just don't talk- when will you two understand that? That bastard of a whale I used to call an uncle made sure I never talked about my feelings- he wanted to make sure I never blabbed to anyone about how unfair my life was- and I _know_ he can't hurt me anymore, but…" Harry trailed off and clenched his hands into tight fists, trying to get himself back under control.

"Don't you see our point, Harry?" Sirius asked him sadly. "Look at you… you have so much pain bottled up and you refuse to let it out. You're only 14, you shouldn't- you _don't_- have to deal with this on your own."

"Look, you're shivering," Remus said gently after a few minutes of silence. It was true; even with a thick jacket on the cold _was_ getting to Harry. "How about we get some hot chocolate and chat about this inside?"

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Much as he didn't want to talk about it, Harry knew there was no getting out of it this time. He was currently sitting on the sofa beside Remus whilst the two waited for Sirius to return from the kitchens. Why they didn't just have an elf apparate up with their drinks was beyond him.

The silence was broken by the opening of a door. Sirius was back with the drinks. He handed hot chocolate to Harry, gave Remus a drink Harry had never seen in his life and kept what looked like Firewhisky for himself before he sat in the chair opposite Harry and Remus, all the better to face them properly. Harry was itching to get away and scratch himself… if he could just do that, it would be so much easier to talk… instead, he had to settle for holding his cup as tight as possible, egging the hot liquid on, hoping it would somehow burn his hands. The cup seemed to be charmed against that, though. Harry sighed as he took a sip of the drink before setting it down and clasping his hands in his lap again, waiting for one of his guardians to start the difficult conversation. Finally, after clearing his throat, Remus did.

"What _exactly_ happened during your bath times as a child, Harry?"

"I already told you," said Harry coolly. "It was either way too cold or way too hot. Usually it was Petunia who made them really cold and Vernon who made them hot. I didn't get many hot ones- that was only when he was really pissed off… like the time I spilled coffee on him," Harry winced.

"He gave you a boiling hot bath because you spilled coffee on him?" Sirius asked angrily.

"Well, it was really hot coffee," Harry shrugged, not knowing why he was defending his uncle. He certainly didn't deserve it. "I was eight at the time. I'd only learned how to make coffee properly the month before… so anyway, he punched me a couple of times and chucked me into a boiling bath… 'see how _you_ like hot liquids' he said."

"He had no right," Remus breathed, his usually-calm voice sounding rather strained.

"He had no right to do a lot of things he did," Harry spat bitterly. "You see what I mean? What good comes from talking about this? All it does is make me want to-" Harry cut off, not wanting to admit exactly how much he was itching to harm himself. "All it does is make me feel bad," he amended, "and it makes you two really mad… I hate it when you're mad," he added in a small voice. It was true; his Uncle had given him a slight phobia of angry people. Well, angry adult men to be more specific.

"You know we'd never hurt you though, don't you?" Sirius asked uneasily, as though needing reassurance.

"Course I do," Harry quickly reassured him. "Just like the people who have phobias of the dark know there's nothing _in_ the dark to be afraid of. Or those who have phobias of spiders… generally, the spiders here can't hurt you. Doesn't make them fear them any less though, does it?"

"Clever logic," Remus smiled slightly, getting himself under slightly better control. He sounded much calmer, anyhow.

"So your uncle's given you a phobia of… what, angry adults?" Sirius looked a little confused.

"Sort of," Harry shrugged unhelpfully. Sirius let out a sigh and Remus reached over to wrap an arm gently around Harry's shoulders. "I'll get over it, eventually," Harry tried to assure them. He didn't like being fussed over so much. _I survived all those years before, I can survive dreaming about them_.

"Nevertheless, I'd love nothing more than to hex that man into next year," Sirius growled. Harry gave him a tight smile.

"Can I go for a walk now?" Harry asked. "On my own," he added before they replied.

"Are you sure, cub?" Remus asked softly.

"Yeah, I want to clear my head…" Harry trailed off uncertainly.

"On you go, then," Sirius said finally. "Take the map with you, though."

Harry agreed, for he was starting to lose the illusion he'd had that Hogwarts was a completely safe place to be. Actually, he was amazed the illusion had lasted this long, after Quirrel in first year, the basilisk in second year and the Dementors last year. He kept the map open and held tightly in his hand- he didn't want someone to 'accio' it away. _One of the teachers mentioned an anti-accio spell once. Maybe I should ask Sirius about it. _

It wasn't quite as empty outside as it had been before, as a few of the people who had finished their dinner were now milling about outside. He could see a couple of fifth years sitting beside the lake, studying, books lying on the ground in front of them. He could see small dots flying around at the Quidditch pitch, too. They obviously weren't house team players though, as they didn't look too steady on their brooms from what he could see. Harry walked slowly around the lake until he was at the other side- the empty side. There, he dropped down gratefully onto the cool grass and started shivering. He hadn't noticed the cold as much this time while he was walking, but it was hitting him hard now. He cast a small warming charm on himself, smiling as heat flooded through his body and caused his goose bumps to disappear.

He stayed out for an hour before heading up to Gryffindor common room, feeling oddly tired. There was still a party going on which several people tried to drag him into, but Harry kept pushing past everyone, eventually hexing a third year out of irritation. No-one bothered him after that and he was able to clamber gratefully into bed where he fell asleep almost instantly.

Amazingly, he didn't have any nightmares that night. He woke up slightly when Ron and the other boys entered, but he was groggy enough that within ten seconds he was back asleep.

He didn't awake again until late in the morning the next day, near ten o'clock. _I must've been really tired_, Harry thought as he covered a yawn and pulled himself out of bed. He'd missed Quidditch, but he knew his friends wouldn't mind too much. As he was getting dressed his stomach growled, reminding him he had yet to eat anything since Thursday night. _Oops. I meant to eat yesterday, too_. Shaking his head slightly at himself, Harry slowly exited Gryffindor tower and made his way down to the kitchens.

As he arrived, Harry heard two familiar voices wafting out towards him. Sirius and Remus were there. Plastering a smile onto his face, Harry entered the kitchen and rolled his eyes as his two guardians immediately stopped talking.

"Hello to you too," Harry said after a moments of silence.

"Sorry, kiddo," Sirius grinned. "How you feeling?"

"Better now that I've had a long sleep," Harry smiled, a real one this time, joining them at the table. Toast, bacon and eggs were all lying out and Harry eagerly helped himself. "So what were you two talking about?" he asked finally.

"This and that," Sirius said in the vague tone Harry knew meant they couldn't tell him about it.

"Okay," Harry sighed slightly, rolling his eyes.

After eating, Harry spent some time reading before he headed out to do some flying on his own, having missed the Quidditch game that morning. It was raining lightly but Harry didn't really care as he flew through the air, enjoying the wind flying past his face. He really couldn't wait to start playing Quidditch again next year.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The next few weeks passed rather quickly for the raven-haired teen, as time always did when he was dreading something.

The first of April was a rather memorable day, though. Harry doubted the whole of Hogsmeade would ever forget it. The twins, obviously feeling annoyed at the amount of homework they were being given for NEWT-level studying, had decided to enjoy their birthday… A lot. They'd had a massive prank war in the middle of the village and many innocent bystanders walked away with rather embarrassing defects. Harry himself had been forced to walk around the rest of the day with long blonde hair that he could actually sit on… he'd been forced to hex his guardians for laughing at him. After the prank war the twins were quiet- at least, they were quiet until they decided it was time to head back to the castle. Before leaving the twins had set off an extremely large box of fireworks that exploded all around the village, scaring kids and blinding anyone who looked at the bright colours for too long.

Before Harry knew it, it was nearly halfway through April. He hadn't had any more urges to harm himself, he hadn't had any more fights- with his friends _or_ Malfoy and his cronies and he was still left wondering, along with Cedric, Fleur and Viktor, what the Third Task would be.

The 6th of May was a Hogsmeade Weekend and Harry was up early on that day… not that it did him much good; it was far too wet outside for him to even consider playing Quidditch. Instead he dressed and grabbed a book, heading down to the common room where he smiled when he saw Ginny curled up on his favourite armchair by the fire.

"You've nicked my seat," Harry grinned at her, taking the seat beside hers.

"I don't see your name on it," she smiled back at him. Harry waved his wand at it and the name 'Harry Potter' appeared in plain black letters on the armrest. "Cheat," she scowled.

"You should know by now not to tempt me," he grinned, opening the book he was carrying, on karate, that Sirius had suggested he read.

"Horrible weather," Ginny said after awhile.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, glancing up at her. "Almost makes me dread going to Hogsmeade."

"I know what you mean," she grinned at him. "Still, a nice warm Butterbeer before we head back'll make us feel loads better."

Ginny was right. Barely half an hour into the Hogsmeade trip Harry and his friends were drenched, frozen and desperate to get back to the castle. They'd hurried around the shops, getting what they needed, spending as little time as possible outside- they'd even skipped their traditional visit to the Shrieking Shack.

"I thought we were supposed to be getting back into Summer weather!" Ron scowled as the five entered The Three Broomsticks. The place was far busier than usual, but they managed to grab a table nevertheless. "I'll get the drinks," Ron offered quickly, causing everyone else to roll their eyes.

"I'm surprised he hasn't asked her out yet," Harry grinned.

When Luna needed the loo right before they left, Harry frowned.

"Can't you hold it?"

"No," Luna said honestly. Harry sighed. "Ginny, Hermione… go with her, okay? Pay attention to who's in there."

"Okay," they both promised.

Harry didn't get any headaches when the three returned, so he knew they were okay.

"Race you back," Harry grinned, zooming out the shop.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny mainly just sat in their common room all day, alternating between playing games like Wizard Chess and Exploding snap and doing their homework- courtesy of Hermione's nagging, of course. The room was busier than usual as half the students were packed in; half feeling too irritated to go to the library or their usual hangouts after being drenched in Hogsmeade.

When Harry went to bed that night he was feeling very relaxed after a day of playing games. Sadly, it wouldn't last.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox **

Harry was sitting on a hard, wooden chair in front of a comfortably warm fire. The room had an orange glow to it from the flames, though there was nothing to illuminate because, aside from Harry, the chair he sat on, Barty and Nagini, the room was completely empty.

"Your foolish blunder has endangered our plans greatly, Barty," Harry said coldly.

"I am most sorry, My Lord," Barty bowed, wrinkling his nose as his straw-coloured hair fell into his eyes. It was obvious the man needed a haircut.

"You must find him," Harry said coldly, and in a far more urgent tone than he usually used, even for large plans like this. "If he were to say anything- _anything_…"

"I understand, M'Lord," Barty nodded his head slightly. He paused. "What do you wish I do if I find him?"

"Bring him to me," Harry told him coolly. "As high as the risk is of him escaping and talking, we need him. Your father has a lot of _extremely_ useful information, Barty. It would not do us well to lose him."

"As you wish," Barty nodded.

"Now, before you leave," Harry said, allowing a small, sadistic smile to creep onto his face, "I think I ought to give you a little… demonstration on exactly how disappointed I am. _Crucio!_"

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry woke up with a strangled gasp, sweat dripping down his face. His scar was burning and his body shaking from the Cruciatus Curse that had been cast but he didn't think he was going to barf this time.

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked sympathetically as he helped Harry sit up.

"Wha' d'you fink?" Harry asked groggily, rubbing at his head, though the pain was receding far quicker than usual.

"Should we go get Sirius and Remus, Harry?" Neville asked him nervously.

"N-no," Harry shook his head. "Just… give me a minute, alright? I'll go down myself."

"You sure, Harry?" Ron asked in a hushed voice. "You're not usually all that good at walking after a vision-"

"I'm sure," Harry said firmly, letting go of his head and standing up.

"One of us should at least walk you down," Dean said, gazing at Harry with an odd look.

"I'll be fine," Harry snapped. "Sorry," he sighed. "Look, it wasn't… it _isn't_ as bad as usual. Just lemme go, I'll be _fine_." After making sure he had his wand on him, Harry padded softly out of the room leaving four rather concerned boys behind him.

It was true, what he'd said, Harry reflected as he walked through the silent castle. He definitely didn't feel as bad as usual… _is it possible for my body to get used to these visions? People say if you get used to sticking yourself with needles it stops stinging_- _ouch!_ Harry had just stuck his leg through the trick stair that Neville always forgot about. He gingerly pulled his leg out and walked onwards, this time paying close attention to where he stepped.

The Marauder Quarters were, of course, silent when Harry arrived. He padded silently over to the fire and flicked his wand at it, starting it up. The room was _freezing_! A quick glance at the clock showed Harry it was four am, and he felt rather guilty waking his guardians up at this hour. He frowned as he looked around the room, trying to decide what to do. He _could_ just take the potions on his own, that way he didn't need to wake his guardians and he'd be able to tell them his vision first thing in the morning.

"That's what I'll do," Harry whispered aloud, nodding slightly to himself. He fetched the potions from a small cupboard and made sure he was comfy on the couch before draining them and slipping into dreamland.

Harry was awoken by loud voices and the familiar feeling of someone running their fingers through his hair.

"Sir'us," Harry said groggily, pushing himself up.

"Morning, kiddo," Sirius had a falsely bright smile plastered onto his face. "Mind telling us why you're sleeping on a couch?"

"Crouch _dead_?" Harry frowned at the headline of the newspaper currently sitting on Remus' need. He reached out for it and raised an eyebrow as he read it.

**Crouch found dead **

****

_Barty Crouch, famous for aggressively prosecuting Death Eaters in the days of You-Know-Who's power, has now been caught out by the ones he once sought to imprison, it seems. _

_Crouch has had a lot of questions to answer lately with the news of his son, once believed dead, being an impostor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Ministry Official has been taking time off work due to stress over this finding- or so he said. It is now believed that he was, in fact, being held prisoner in his own home by a large group of You-Know-Who's followers. _

_It was early this morning that the Dark Mark was found floating over Crouches home. Aurors suggest Crouch was tortured brutally before his death but exact facts are still unknown- _

"That can't be right," Harry shook his head, offering the Daily Prophet to Remus.

"What's wrong, cub?" Remus asked, frowning slightly as he took the Daily Prophet back from Harry.

"He can't be dead," Harry told them, looking up at them both. "That's why I was here… I had a vision last night- I didn't want to wake you, and it wasn't as bad as usual- and they were talking about him. Voldemort specifically said they needed Crouch alive."

"You should have woken us, Harry," Remus scolded him lightly.

"It was late," Harry shrugged.

"Harry-" Sirius started.

"I told you, it wasn't as bad as usual! I wasn't even dizzy walking down. Besides, you've not been sleeping too well recently- don't deny it," he added as Sirius opened his mouth to protest. "It's pretty damn obvious. You're not fighting as well in our training sessions and you've got bags the size of dragons under your eyes. I wasn't about to stop you getting what you needed."

"Come on, Sirius," Remus said quietly to the older man. "I think we should go talk to Dumbledore. If Harry's right then something's wrong. Are you sure you're alright, Harry?"

"I'm fine," Harry nodded. "On you go. I'll just get dressed and go to breakfast… Ginny and Hermione will be up, at least." Sirius opened his mouth as though to say something but obviously changed his mind for he gave a small shake of his head before letting Remus usher him out of the room. Harry stayed sitting for a few moments before sighing and heading towards his bedroom.

When Harry arrived at the Great Hall twenty minutes later he found not only Hermione and Ginny waiting for him, but also Luna, Ron and Neville.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, peering at him as he sat between Ron and Neville.

"Would Sirius and Remus have let me out if I wasn't?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, I suppose not," she replied, the corner of her mouth twitching up.

"Did your vision have anything to do with this, Harry?" Neville asked, handing him the Daily Prophet. Having already seen it, Harry sat it down on the table and put his plate over it, hiding the disgusting image of Barty Crouch Jr. and some of his fellow Death Eaters from sight.

"Yes and no," Harry said vaguely as he gathered some bacon onto his plate. He smiled slightly at the bemused expressions on his friends faces. "He… was talking to Crouch about his father," Harry said at last. "This?" he asked, pointing to the article hidden beneath his plate. "It's bullshit- it's a cover-up of some sort… a trick. _He_," Harry didn't want to use Voldemorts name surrounded by so many people, especially talk about information as sensitive as 'vision-information', "said he didn't want Crouches father killed… if anything, they'll be kidnapping him again."

"What do you mean by 'again', Harry?" Ginny frowned.

"That's why he's not been at work," Harry explained, glancing at Ron. "They've been holding him prisoner… trying to get information about the Ministry, I suppose. They were rather vague in their conversation."

"Blimey," Ron said, eyes wide.

"Sirius and Remus are talking to Professor Dumbledore about it," Harry told them, sitting down his fork as he finished a slice of bacon.

Harry took off to the grounds after breakfast, grinning when he ran into Fleur who had been about to head into the castle.

"'Arry," the French girl greeted him brightly. "I deed not expect you to be out zis early."

"You didn't?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression I was one of Hogwarts earlier risers."

"I meant I thought zat you would still be asleep after having another veesion."

"You know about that?" he asked, looking up sharply.

"Secrets don't stay secrets for long at Hogwarts," Fleur told him absently. "You once told me that."

"Yeah, I did," Harry sighed. "Walk with me?" he asked, gesturing around the grounds.

"Of course," Fleur smiled brightly and hooked her arm through his.

When Harry went back to the Marauder Quarters that night Sirius and Remus couldn't tell him anything new.

"We didn't come up with much, kiddo," Sirius said, pulling Harry onto the sofa beside him. "And what we _did_ come up with, Dumbledore would rather we didn't tell you yet."

"Alright," Harry said with a small frown.

"Try not to worry about it too much, Harry," Remus told him gently from where he sat at a table writing a letter. "This is… you've got enough on your plate as it is. Just let the adults handle this one, alright?"

"Yeah, alright."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

And so Harry left the problem alone and concentrated on completing all his homework on time- something that even book-a-holic Hermione was starting to feel the stress from.

"I never expected to get so much homework in fourth year," Hermione groaned one night and Harry and Ron glanced at each other. Hermione groaning about homework was _completely_ out of character- she hadn't even done that last year when she'd taken every subject available.

"Are you alright, 'Mione?" Harry asked eventually, swapping his gaze from Ron to Hermione.

"Of course I am," Hermione frowned at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason," Harry quickly looked down at his homework, struggling to hide a smile.

Another reason Harry was feeling the stress with his homework were his training sessions. The sessions themselves took up valuable 'homework time' and then, for the rest of the night after his training, he too tired to even think about homework. He was usually in bed within an hour of coming back… especially after the ones with Sirius.

Classes themselves weren't that hard, though. Well, not for Harry at least, as many of the things they were moving onto were things he had either practiced when training or had learned in his free time.

It was on the twenty-seventh of May that McGonagall came up to Harry during breakfast. He was busy working on his Divination homework, hoping to work on his Transfiguration and Potions after it.

"Mr Potter." He jumped at the voice behind him.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry asked, laying his quill down and turning to face his stern head of house.

"Mr Bagman would like you in the Quidditch pitch at nine o'clock tonight."

"He's going to tell us about the third task," Harry stated more than asked. When McGonagall headed back up to the staff table Harry slipped his homework into his bag, not much in the mood to finish it anymore.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

At a quarter to nine that night Harry met up with Cedric just outside the Great Hall and the two set off down to the Quidditch pitch.

"What d'you reckon it'll be?" Cedric asked with a grin.

"No idea," Harry shrugged. "Fight trolls?" he suggested with a grin.

"Fight _trolls_?" Cedric asked incredulously with a laugh. "Blimey, that'd be hard. D'you know how tough their hide is?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry smiled, thinking back to his First year. "Don't you remember a few years back, though? Quirrel came into the hall on Halloween – 'Troll! There's a Troll in the dungeons!'" Harry said, trying to mimic Quirrel's voice.

"What did you do?" Cedric asked after laughing.

"Well, Ron had upset Hermione- this was before we were all friends- and she was in the girls toilets crying. She didn't know about the Troll, so we went to tell her…"

"And?"

"It wasn't in the dungeons," Harry shrugged and grinned. "It was at the toilets… we got there just in time, I think," he shuddered slightly. "Well, it was trying to get Hermione… I don't remember what happened, exactly, but I know I ended up on it's back-"

"You were on it's _back_?" Cedric exclaimed loudly.

"I had to stop it from murdering Hermione!" Harry retorted. "Anyway, it was trying to shake me off, and my wand went up it's _nose-_"

"Ew," Cedric pulled a face.

"I know," Harry grinned. "Then it was all up to Ron. Left me quite worried, too, because he was rather slow at learning magic at that time… he managed, though. 'Wingardium Leviosa'd' the trolls club right onto it's head, knocking it out."

"I'll bear that in mind, then," Cedric grinned as they finally reached the pitch. "Whoa!"

"What the hell have they done to it?" Harry asked, staring at it with wide eyes. Cedric just shook his head, wide-eyed, and the two walked on over the pitch.

"Now that we're all here," Bagman said brightly as they joined the small group standing in the center of the pitch. "Let us begin! Can anyone tell me what we have done to the pitch?"

"It's a maze," Viktor said after a moment.

"Correct," Bagman beamed. He was right, too. Now that Harry looked, he could see that the things sticking up from the ground were in fact mini-hedges. "They'll be a good twenty feet high by the time of the Third Task, if Hagrid was telling the truth."

"So all we have to do is get through a maze?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Nah, that'd be far too boring, don't you think?" Bagman asked, entirely too cheerily. "The TriWizard Cup will be placed at the center of the maze. First to touch it wins. There will, of course, be numerous obstacles in the maze. Charms you have to get past, creatures, things like that."

"Creatures?" Harry asked nervously.

"Oh, they won't be that bad," Bagman assured them all brightly. "Hagrid's just getting them all together. They won't be put in the maze until nearer the time, of course."

"Right," Cedric said, deadpanned. He and Harry were the only two there who knew exactly how _bad_ Hagrid's creatures could be.

"The task is on the 24th of June and starts at six o'clock," Bagman continued. "Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good-o! In that case, back to the castle with you. I wish you all the very best of luck."

Bagman hurried off, leaving them all standing in the middle of the pitch.

"Why does he never stick around?" Harry asked, staring after the retreating figure.

"Maybe he's scared of us," Cedric grinned. "C'mon, we should head back."

"Could I have a vord, first, Harry?" Viktor asked hesitantly.

"Er- sure," Harry nodded. "Cedric?"

"We'll wait for you by the lake," the older Hufflepuff offered.

"Thanks," Harry smiled, waving to Cedric and Fleur as they walked off. Harry then turned back to Viktor and the two started walking in the opposite direction.

"So what'd you want to ask?" Harry asked him curiously as they walked subconsciously a little closer to the trees, out of sigh of eavesdroppers.

"Does Hermione have feelings for Ron?" Viktor asked, sounding almost embarrassed.

"Feelings for-? Er, I dunno. I mean, I reckon Ron fancies her a bit, with the way they argue… nothings definite, not yet- why? Oh, don't answer that. If you like her, I say go ahead and ask her out. Maybe it'll teach Ron a thing or two about waiting too long."

"But the last time I did something like that– the Yule Ball- you and he fell out, did you not?"

"He's grown up a bit since then," Harry said slowly. "He knows I won't put up with him being a jealous prat anymore. If something happens between us because you and Hermione get together it _wont_ be your fault."

"Are you-"

"Wand out!" Harry hissed, flicking his own out of his wand holster as he shoved Viktor to the side. Viktor had his out in an instant and they both peered into the trees cautiously, where Harry _knew_ he had saw movement in the shadows. Suddenly, a figure stumbled out and the two kept their wands trained on the man until they could see him.

"But that's-"

"Crouch," Harry whispered, his vision suddenly making sense.

"Mr Potter!" Crouch croaked out, stumbling over to the pair. "Mr Krum! I need to see Dumbledore- must see Dumbledore… big plans, you see. Very big plans indeed. Dumbledore has to know… and you, of course. You're a part- such grave danger you're in, Mr Potter."

"Mr Crouch?" Harry asked nervously. But Crouch rambled on, completely oblivious to the two figures in front of him despite the fact his mind was making him talk to them. "Er- Viktor? Can you fetch Cedric and Fleur? I think we need to take him up to the castle."

"I'll be right back," Viktor promised, setting off at a sprint. Harry felt rather odd after Viktor had left; a strange feeling of dread was rising inside him… it was fear, it was… it was _darkness,_ curling inside his body. _Something_ was going to happen, he just knew it. _Why'd we stray so far from those two? It'll take them a few minutes to come back- _

"Stupefy!" Harry dodged instinctively, aiming his wand towards where the voice had come from. _Why does it sound familiar?_ "Stupefy!" the voice tried again, but the figure wasn't close enough to hit as fast a target as Harry. _Is he after me or Crouch? And who the hell is 'he'?_ The voice tried several more times to hit Harry within the space of thirty seconds and failed every time. It finally seemed to give up, and all was silent for ten seconds before it called out, in an irritated tone, "Avadra Kedavra."

_

* * *

_

_Egging; I don't know if this word is actually used in England, but it's used up here a lot in Scotland. It basically means urging._

That aside, here's another cliffy. Oh, how I love them. Anyhoo, this chapter isn't betad... I haven't seen Roxy online in awhile... heh.

For those who don't have me on author alert, I've started a new story. 'Making Things Right'. I'm not too sure about the title, but it'll do for now. Basically another cliched 'Harry gets a second chance' story. Not at a childhood, but at killing Voldemort _without_ all his friends dying in the process. I don't know how far I'll take it because, fun as the idea sounds, I'm not enjoying writing it as much as I'd hoped. Ditto with the 5th year fic of this series... I'm not enjoying it as much, and I can't seem to get past my writers block. I'm _still_ trying to finish chapter 2 of that, and its been a few weeks now.

Okay, I'll stop rambling. I've got some ideas for oneshots- Sirius finds out about the blood quill, Sirius comforts Harry after a nightmare about Cedric- that I'm trying to write. If anyone else has any cute, fluffy ideas I could do (Sirius and Harry, please) then let me know.

Don't forget to review and lemme know what you think: )


	15. The Third Task

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 15

"Er- Viktor? Can you fetch Cedric and Fleur? I think we need to take him up to the castle."

"I'll be right back," Viktor promised, setting off at a sprint. Harry felt rather odd after Viktor had left; a strange feeling of dread was rising inside him… it was fear, it was… _darkness_ curling inside his body. _Something_ was going to happen, he just knew it. _Why'd we stray so far from those two? It'll take them a few minutes to come back- _

"Stupefy!" Harry dodged instinctively, aiming his wand towards where the voice had come from. _Why does it sound familiar?_ "Stupefy!" the voice tried again, but the figure wasn't close enough to hit as fast a target as Harry. _Is he after me or Crouch? And who the hell is 'he'?_ The voice tried several more times to hit Harry within the space of thirty seconds and failed every time. It finally seemed to give up, and all was silent for ten seconds before it called out, in an irritated tone, "Avada Kedavra."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry threw himself onto the ground, but the spell wasn't aimed for him… right in front of his eyes, as though in slow motion, the green light hit Crouch who proceeded to sway on his feet before dropping to the ground, landing with an ominous _thump_. Everything was far quieter now without Crouch babbling; the only sounds came from the Forest where the _murderer_ was running away from the scene and animals were communicating. Harry slowly pushed himself up, his wand held loosely in his hand as he stared at the lifeless body in front of him.

"Harry!" it was Cedric, and he sounded pretty worried.

"'Arry! What 'appened?" Fleur asked him concernedly as Cedric and Viktor took an arm each to pull him off the ground.

"You're bleeding," Viktor said, a hint of a frown on his face. Harry glanced down and saw he'd thrown himself on top of a stone that had scratched along his arm. He shrugged, using his sleeve to brush at the blood.

"I thought you said Crouch was rambling?" Cedric asked uneasily, not letting go of Harry's arm.

"He vas," Viktor said, bewildered, as Fleur moved towards the body cautiously.

"He's dead," Harry's voice was barely above a whisper but, given the circumstances, he felt making his voice heard at all was a huge achievement.

"Harry?" Cedric asked him gently, kneeling down to see him better. It was times like this Harry hated being short.

"He's dead," Harry repeated. His voice was louder this time, but it was also croaky. "I… I think it was a Death Eater… I recognised the voice…" Harry's voice was shaking, as were his hands. He clenched his wand tighter in an attempt to get himself under control, but the only thing he succeeded in doing was shooting numerous large, red sparks out of the end. His three older friends were staring at him in concern, shock, worry and disbelief. "He knew something," Harry carried on shakily. "Crouch- he knew something… about Voldemort, I'm sure of it… he knew plans… you heard him, Viktor… I think he was followed here…"

"Are you hurt, Harry?" Cedric asked, cutting through Harry's jumbled parts of speech.

"Hurt?" Harry echoed blankly. The three older students glanced at each other.

"Fleur, can you float Crouches body up to the school?" Cedrics voice didn't sound as firm as usual, but it was nowhere near as shaky as Harry's. "We can't leave him here… we need to tell a teacher… Viktor, give me a hand with Harry. He looks pretty pale."

"So vould I if I had just watched someone die," Viktor said softly, taking a hold of Harry's right arm.

"Let's 'urry," Fleur whispered nervously. "In case they're still here."

"He," Harry stated simply as they began a fast pace. "Not they. And he ran away. I heard him, just before you came." He was only really paying attention to _parts_ of their conversation.

"All the same, the faster we get back the better," Cedric said firmly.

Cedric and Viktor were half-carrying Harry by the time they reached the Hospital Wing as Harry's legs _really_ did not seem to want to work.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Cedric called out loudly as he and Viktor lowered Harry to sit on a bed, "Madam Pomfrey!" he yelled, helping Fleur lie Crouch on a bed (using a wand; neither wanted to touch the body).

"I'm here!" Madam Pomfrey bustled into the ward looking rather annoyed, but her face softened as she saw who was there. "What have you done now, Mr Potter?"

"There was a Death Eater on the grounds, Ma'am," Viktor told the matron in a rather harsh voice.

"They- I mean, he- killed… he killed Crouch…" Cedric finished for Viktor, pointing uneasily at the corpse lying on a bed a little way down from Harry's.

"In front of Harry," Viktor added, glancing at the silent teen.

"I think we should get 'ees guardians," Fleur said softly.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Madam Pomfrey glanced at Harry before waving her wand. She must have cast a silent Patronus Charm, for a moment later a large silver goose flew out the tip of her wand and flew out of the Hospital Wing.

It didn't take long for Sirius and Remus to arrive. They hurried into the ward, completely ignoring Madam Pomfrey who was looking over Crouches' corpse.

"What happened, kiddo?" Sirius asked gently as he knelt in front of Harry, tipping his head up so their gazes met.

"Good Merlin, is that Crouch?" Remus asked, glancing over at Crouches body. The question was aimed at Madam Pomfrey, but it was Harry who answered.

"Yes," he croaked out. "The Prophet was wrong… Crouch _was_ alive… that's what my vision was… they tricked us all. Crouch knew something, but he escaped… he wanted to warn Dumbledore… something about me being in grave danger, he said…"

"Slow down, kiddo," Sirius told him gently. "Why not start from the beginning?"

"It's my fault," Viktor said before Harry could start. "After Mr. Bagman told us about the task, I vanted to talk to Harry about - something. Cedric and Fleur waited for us by the lake… Mr Crouch came out of the Dark Forest. He vas rambling and completely delusional! Harry told me to go fetch Cedric and Fleur… I didn't vant to leave him, but we needed help… they were attacked while I was away."

"Who attacked you, Harry?" Remus urged the younger boy on gently.

"Malfoy, I think," Harry said, frowning as he tried to think clearly. Why was his mind so empty? It was blank and echo-y… a strange buzzing seemed to be slowly filling it… "He tried to stun me, he kept missing… then he used the… the _killing_ curse… I thought it was for me, he hadn't aimed at Crouch at all with the stunners… I just threw myself to the ground, I never even thought about Crouch… I could've stopped it!" Harry was turning hysterical, his voice raising to a rather high tone.

"Can we get a calming draught, Poppy?" Sirius asked, standing up.

"In the cupboard," said Madam Pomfrey as she pointed to the correct cupboard. Sirius quickly collected it and he and Remus helped Harry to drink it.

"Could you check him over before we leave?" Remus inquired quietly. "I think it'd be best if we took him back to our quarters."

"Certainly I can," Madam Pomfrey nodded, waving her wand over Harry. She could find nothing but the cut from the rock, which she healed instantly.

"C'mon, kiddo," Sirius said gently, helping Harry off the bed and leading him out of the Hospital Wing.

As soon as they reached Marauder Quarters Harry was marched straight to bed. Sirius and Remus made sure his blankets were tucked tight around him, his pillow fluffed up and his pyjamas comfortable before they sat down at the edge of his bed.

"Do you want some Dreamless Sleep, kiddo?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's hair gently.

"Isn't too much of it addictive?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Well, yes, but you've not had much recently. I think we can risk it if you want some."

"I'll go without, thanks," Harry said softly. "If I wake up in the middle of the night, though, feel free to shove it down my throat. I don't want to keep you two up."

"Don't be daft," Remus smiled fondly as he stood up. "We want to help you when you need it. Are you sure you don't want the potion?"

"I'm sure," Harry said in as firm a voice as he could manage. Which, really, wasn't that firm at all.

"Sleep well, kiddo. We'll talk about all this first thing in the morning, okay? You look exhausted."

Harry _was_ exhausted, and was only too happy to wait until morning to talk about everything. He had a feeling it was going to be a rather hard conversation to have. After his guardians left Harry quickly placed a Silencing Charm around his bed before allowing himself to drift into dreamland.

_"So what did you want to talk about?" _

_"Hermione. Does your redhead friend fancy her?" _

_"Ron? Yeah, I think so… a bit… but he's never going to ask her out." Harry paused to look at Viktor's face, which was slightly nervous. "You should just ask her," Harry told him with a smile. "I mean, the worst she can do is say she'd rather be friends, right?" _

_"Such a shame that Mudblood will never get to answer then, isn't it?" a cold voice from behind them asked. Harry whirled around, but it was too late. A green light flashed and Viktor's body crashed to the ground, joining the numerous other lifeless corpses lying there; Crouch, Dumbledore, Ron, Percy, his Aunt, Severus, Sirius, Hermione, Tonks… How hadn't he noticed them before? He and Viktor had walked past them! _

_"What have you done?" Harry whispered. He turned his wand on the Death Eater who was laughing at him. _

_"What do you think I've done, Harry?" the Death Eater asked softly. He raised his wand, flicked it at an approaching figure, and the body dropped to the ground. _

_"Stop!" Harry yelled desperately, sending a stunner at the Death Eater. He easily deflected it, though. "Stop it! No, run!" he shouted, noticing someone else approaching…it was Remus. "Moony! Run- before he gets you too! He'll get you…" Harry could feel his eyes stinging now, his voice cracking in desperation, but Remus wouldn't go. He kept walking towards them, not saying anything to Harry, apparently oblivious to the dead bodies littered around him. _

_"He is your other guardian, I believe?" the Death Eater asked thoughtfully. Then he gave what Harry could only describe as a psychotic laugh. "Avada Kedavra!" he hissed, and as the green light hit Remus, the Werewolf sunk to the ground, dead, his lifeless eyes still apparently locked on Harry. _

_"No," Harry dropped to his knees and started to sob. "No, no, no-" _

"No, no, no," Harry woke to find himself sobbing into his pillow. Grateful that his Silencing Charm had held, Harry slowly disentangled himself from his blanket and sat up so that his back was leaning against his headboard and his knees were tucked up to his chest.

"Should've taken the Dreamless Sleep after all," Harry told himself softly. Spying his wand out of the corner of his eye Harry picked it up and summoned a quill to him, knowing there was only one possible thing that could help him calm down after his dream.

His first cut was vicious; he practically stabbed the quill into his leg in desperation to burn away the feelings left by his nightmare. He had barely started cutting his leg a second time when he abruptly dropped the quill, gazing at the red droplets of blood that were slowly working their way down his leg. _I promised them I wouldn't_, Harry thought guiltily. _I promised them I wouldn't cut myself anymore… that I'd talk to them instead… but can I talk? What would I say? 'Oh, I'm upset because I had a dream where you and everyone I loved – and some I hated, I guess – died.' Yeah, that'd go well. Get a grip on yourself, Harry. You're stronger than this! Sirius and Remus don't need to be dealing with this… remember Vernon? 'Suck it up, boy,' he said. 'No-one wants to deal with your nightmares, of all things'. _

Harry sat up for the rest of the night, leaning against the headboard with his knees tucked up to his chest and a few splatters of blood on his bed-sheets. Try as he might, he couldn't force himself to drift off again… and, indeed, he was unsure whether or not he actually _wanted_ to sleep again… the nightmare had been so _real_.

When he heard his guardians getting up - both of them, which was rather unusual - Harry pulled himself out of bed and padded tiredly into the common room, where both of his guardians instantly looked up at him. They were still half-asleep, yet _somehow_ they managed to look concerned.

"Did you sleep last night?" Sirius asked suspiciously. "You look as tired as you did before." Harry just gave a non-committal shrug and sat down on the sofa, pulling one of the cushions towards him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Remus asked him gently as he came over to kneel in front of the raven-haired teen. Harry was sure he heard a snort, and a '_isn't it obvious?'_ from Sirius' direction, but he chose to ignore it.

"I…" but Harry trailed off, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry," he said finally, hanging his head so he didn't have to look at his guardians.

"What for, kiddo?" Sirius asked, starting to sound more awake now as the seriousness of the conversation got to him. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I had a nightmare," Harry told them softly, not looking up. "He… he killed _everyone_."

"Harry-" Remus started.

"And after it… I… it was horrible… I didn't even think about it, and I know I should've just come straight to you…"

"Harry, it's alright," Sirius said soothingly as he joined Harry and wrapped his arms around the teen. "Did you cut yourself again?"

Harry, not wanting to say the word aloud, simply nodded a yes.

"You don't have to apologise, cub," Remus said gently, sitting on Harry's other side and squeezing his shoulder gently. "What happened last night was nothing a fourteen year old should have to see. We would have preferred to talk to you about it all last night but Madam Pomfrey warned us off it; she said you needed sleep more than anything else."

"Talking first would probably have helped more," Harry said, not even finding the energy for the small scowl he wanted to make.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?" Sirius asked him gently. "We can wait if you aren't, but we need to know what happened, too. A death on Hogwarts grounds doesn't exactly look good for the school and _Fudge_," Sirius spat the name, "is trying to convince Dumbledore to use Legilimency on you in order to find out what happened."

"Is he?" Harry looked up, his interest piqued.

"Selfish bastard," Remus said, and Sirius looked at him with astonished, proud eyes.

"Why, Moony, I didn't know you knew how to say such a vile word."

"It would be rather hard not to, what with growing up with you and James," Remus said dryly. Harry cracked a small smile, inwardly grateful that his guardians were trying to lighten the mood.

"Guess I better get it over and done with then, shouldn't I?" Harry asked, the smile slipping from his face as he let out a long sigh. "After Bagman told us about the Third Task, Viktor wanted a word…" it didn't seem as hard to talk about now, somehow. "Cedric and Fleur went to wait over by the lake while we talked… well, eventually I heard something moving around in the trees- that was Crouch. He was completely out of his mind… kind of like Lockhart after his Memory Charm backfired on him… so I sent Viktor to get Cedric and Fleur… I realize _now_ what a stupid idea that was. Actually, I realized as soon as he left it was a stupid idea, but by then it was too late… it was your lessons on dodging that saved me, actually," he said, looking up at Sirius. "The Death Eater came from behind, but I managed to dodge everything…" Harry trailed off, biting his lip hard. He didn't stop the biting until Remus squeezed his shoulder again and he realized he had blood in his mouth. "You know what happened," Harry said miserably. "He got… well… _bored_ with me, and cast the curse at Crouch. The others arrived pretty soon after… the whole thing couldn't have taken more than five minutes."

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Sirius murmured, tightening his embrace on Harry. "I wish you didn't have to go through that."

"Wishes never get anyone all that far," Harry said with new-found bitterness, pulling away from his guardians to stand up. "I'm going for a walk to clear my head… maybe get some coffee to wake me up," he told them, summoning his cloak and walking to the door.

"Harry, wait-"

"I won't cut if that's what you're worried about," Harry said coolly. Not waiting for a reply he left the room, needing to get away before he said something he'd regret.

It wasn't cold outside, but it wasn't especially warm either. The grounds were empty, further proof that Sirius being awake already was breaking the rules of nature. Harry snorted to himself at the thought as he walked off around the lake, setting a rather fast pace. He would jog, but he didn't think he'd last all too long unless he got some sleep first. He deliberately kept his gaze down as he paced around the lake, not wanting to accidentally catch sight of the area he and Viktor had been at last night.

As the sun rose higher Harry slowed his pace and glanced up at the castle, knowing lessons would be starting soon. He had no idea whether or not to go to them… on the one hand, it would distract him and on the other, he didn't know how he'd react if people started asking him questions. He knew from his time spent with Sirius and Remus earlier that he could quite suddenly change from being rather quiet to… well, _angry_. Eventually, though, Harry headed back up. He would have breakfast in the Great Hall with his friends and _then_ he would decide whether he ought to go to class or not.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"You look like hell," was the first thing that escaped Ron's mouth as Harry joined his friends at the table.

"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed, slapping her brother on the arm.

"Ouch- Ginny, that hurt!" Ron frowned at his sister. "I was only stating the obvious!"

"Don't bother bickering or I'll go eat in the kitchens," Harry warned as he sat down next to Neville. "Ginny, Ron's right – I _feel_ like hell. Ron, Ginny's also right. You don't have to be so blunt about it." Harry was rather proud of how calm and logical he sounded.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked him softly. He raised an eyebrow at her in reply and she sighed. "Okay, stupid question."

"Is he really dead?" Ron asked, earning another slap from Ginny. "Ouch, stop that, Gin! I mean- well, you know how things are exaggerated around here…"

"He's dead, Ron," Harry said slowly. "And I think I'd appreciate it if you all shut up about it for now. I nearly exploded when I was talking to Sirius and Remus about it… just… just… talk about other stuff, okay?"

"Sure thing, Harry," Neville smiled at him. "Er, did you get your Divination homework finished?"

"Only just," Harry rolled his eyes and hid a small smile. _Trust Neville_. "Ron did half of it for me, though."

"And he did half my potions essay," Ron chimed in with a grin. "Perfect team, us."

"I wish you wouldn't cheat like that," Hermione told him reprovingly.

"It's not cheating, Hermione," Ron explained slowly. "It's…"

"Cheating," Harry grinned. "Give it up, mate. You know she's right."

"Well, it's not like it's an exam. I wouldn't cheat on _that_," retorted Ron. Hermione's only reply was to huff at him.

In the end, Harry decided to go to classes, and after collecting his things he found himself taking the long trek up to the Divination tower.

"She better bloody like this homework," Ron scowled. "I took forever on it."

"How long does it take to come up with a bunch of lies?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Plenty of time, I'll have you know," Ron retorted, causing Neville to laugh.

"Not nearly as long as it takes to do it properly, I'd guess," Neville offered with a sly smile.

"Spoilsport," Ron grinned.

Professor Trelawney, Harry decided, actually _did_ have some sense in that empty head of hers. Aside from a sympathetic look, the Divination teacher left Harry alone for the whole class; she didn't stray near his and Ron's table, didn't make a single comment about him and she even predicted _Dean's_ death, rather than Harry's. Dean wasn't used to having his death 'predicted', though, and looked rather freaked out until Neville spent five minutes reassuring the boy that it was all fake.

"How could he not know she's a fraud after two years of her predicting _my_ death? Do I look like a ghost or walking zombie to you?" Harry asked a laughing Ron as they left Divination.

"Try and be sympathetic, Harry," Neville told him quietly, though it was obvious the boy was also trying to hold back a smile. "He's not used to it happening to him."

"I guess," Harry admitted, but he was still grinning.

Harry was famished by lunch time. Hagrid had been very sympathetic towards Harry in class, but that hadn't stopped Harry from participating. They'd been studying Unicorns… only, of course, the Unicorns didn't want to be ogled at by a dozen kids. All three of them had escaped and the class had had to chase them around the school grounds. Needless to say, every single one of them was exhausted, but all they had time for was a quick lunch before Potions.

Potions was yet another tiring class, as Snape had decided it was time to brew a rather difficult potion that required a lot of concentration– something Harry just didn't have to offer. He gave it his best, though, and vowed to do some research on it at a later date- perhaps even practice brewing it- to make up for it.

After Potions, Harry ignored Severus who had tried to call him back and sped out of the classroom.

"Harry-" Ron started.

"Go eat, Ron," Harry told his friend, forcing a smile onto his face. "I'm going to the library… the third Task's gonna have a lot of things in it… I need to be prepared."

"Harry-" it was Hermione this time.

"You too, Hermione," Harry said with a sigh. "Go eat, go talk to Ginny, go flirt with Ron- I don't care what you do, but just leave me alone for awhile, alright?"

"Don't you want some food first?" Ron asked quietly, sensing for once that it was best not to argue.

"Not hungry," Harry shook his head. "Now go. I'll still be in the library when you're done." His friends glanced at each other then back to Harry before leaving, whispering softly to each other.

The library was mercifully empty when Harry arrived, not that'd he'd expected otherwise… not with dinner on, anyway. You did, occasionally, get the odd harassed person skipping dinner to finish some essay or another, though. Harry sighed as he plonked his bag down rather heavily on one of the tables and wandered over to the shelves, browsing for a good book on hexes; something easy that didn't require too much concentration whilst still allowing him to take his mind off of other things… like Crouch. The memory of the green light hitting Crouch had been plaguing Harry's mind all day, though he was proud to say he'd hidden it rather well.

Harry dropped himself lightly onto a chair and opened his book, but he'd barely started reading when a familiar blonde girl entered the library and headed straight for him.

"You should be eating," Harry told her softly, not looking up. He didn't want to look up; Luna had a habit of reading peoples eyes far too easily.

"So should you," Luna told him, and Harry could hear a faint smile in her voice.

"I'm not hungry."

"Neither am I." Okay, Luna was definitely smiling. There was silence for a few moments before Luna spoke up again. "Your friends are worried about you."

"Isn't everyone?" Harry asked in a soft, sarcastic voice.

"Yes," Luna told him in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "Even I am, Harry- and that's not normal."

"Since when is anything around you normal?" Harry asked her lightly, forcing a small smile onto his face to show he was only teasing. He was _not_ going to be like those rotten Slytherins who always teased Luna.

"Everyone has different opinions on what's normal and what's odd," Luna told him, smiling slightly again. "I happen to have a 'rather large threshold for oddness'… or so Ginny tells me, anyway." Not knowing exactly how to reply to that, Harry kept his mouth shut. It didn't take long for Luna to continue. "My point is, Harry, isolating yourself like this won't do anyone any good."

"I'm not isolating myself," Harry scowled a little. "I want to make sure nothing in the third Task kills me."

"No, that's your excuse," Luna said, standing up with a softness that could only be achieved by slim females. Harry frowned at Luna's behaviour; she hadn't said one single odd thing at all… "I just wanted to let you know you should try not to avoid your friends so much. They're acting like a Gingal's attacked you."

Harry smiled. _That_ was more like the Luna he knew. Still smiling to himself, Harry returned to the book he'd collected from the shelf.

Ron and Hermione didn't come to the library after dinner. Harry didn't mind too much; he knew he wasn't the best person to be in company with at the moment. They were probably afraid he was going to start… well, shouting at them, or something. Just because they didn't come, though, didn't mean no-one else did. It was nearing half six when Harry heard someone sitting down next to him and looked up to see Fred Weasley sitting next to him. George was there, too, though he had opted to stand. Harry blinked at them; they had become rather close friends the past couple of years, but they'd barely spoken to each other this year… not that it was the twins faults. Harry had been avoiding his friends, and it wasn't like the pranksters didn't have _other_ friends – Lee Jordan, for one.

"Hello, Harry," Fred said brightly, taking the book that Harry was reading and flicking through it, feigning interest.

"You'd better not lose my page," Harry warned, though he was smiling slightly as he said it.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Fred said in the same bright tone. He frowned at the book, flicked back to Harry's page and left it lying on the table.

"Is there any reason why you decided to come and disrupt my studying?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, so _that's_ what you're calling it," George grinned. "I thought you were avoiding everyone." Harry just shrugged and the two twins glanced at each other before clearing their throats.

"Harry, we wanted to apologise," Fred started in an unusually serious tone.

"We were good friends before," George continued, sitting himself down on Harry's other side.

"But this year,"

"We haven't been the best,"

"Of friends to you,"

"Have we?" both twins asked simultaneously. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but the twins didn't give him a chance.

"See, we have this plan, to open a joke shop after school," Fred continued on.

"And we have a lot of ideas for it," George nodded. "It takes up most of our time,"

"But that's no excuse, Harry. You used to talk to us- a _lot_," Fred said, sounding almost sad. "We made quite a group last year, didn't we?"

"Yes," George grinned. "Us, ickle Ronniekins, Harry and Hermione."

"But we've barely talked to you this year- not even at Summer," Fred added.

"And we want to let you know we're sorry," George finished. "And that if you want to talk- not just about Crouch, or the Tournament, but _anything_. We miss having you as an honorary brother."

"Well… I… er…"

"Spit it out, Harrykins," Fred grinned.

"I- thanks," Harry said lamely. "And… I'm sorry, too. I've been avoiding plenty of people, so it's not just your fault."

"Yet everyone else made the effort to be with you anyway," Fred shrugged.

"They didn't let you avoid them. We did," George agreed.

"But it's time we stopped," Fred continued.

"Jokes aren't our top priority anymore," George said, pulling a face as if he couldn't believe he was saying the words. "It's time we start hanging around with you lot again."

"Besides, you lot have turned into a load of boring bookworms since we disappeared," Fred said smugly, causing Harry to shake his head and grin.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

And so it was sorted. Fred and George started hanging around with Harry and his friends, occasionally dragging Lee over with them. Harry had to admit, he couldn't recall laughing as much over the course of the whole year as he was now with Fred and George back. He felt guilty admitting it, but he'd barely even thought about them this year. The Tournament had taken up most of his mind, and anyone who wasn't constantly pushing themselves towards Harry was ignored… still, after the big apology by Fred and George, Harry vowed to fix that. He'd wasted a whole year of not talking to the twins, not playing pranks with them… he hadn't even realized, until the came back, exactly how much he needed them. Sure, he'd managed okay, but even the teachers had commented on his brighter mood now. Fred and George were doing wanders for the whole group; even _Viktor_ was smiling more often.

It was also rather hard to be depressed with the Weasley twins around, and Harry soon found his nightmares, snappishness and urge to self-harm slowly ebbing away.

Hermione had taken it upon herself to create large lists of spells she felt Harry ought to learn, even looking through OWL- and NEWT-level books as she knew it was entirely possible for Harry to learn them. As grateful as he was for Hermione's help, Harry couldn't help but feel his face pale every time he looked at her mile-long lists. At the rate his bushy-haired friend was going at, he wouldn't have enough time to learn everything she deemed useful. The Task was only two weeks away now, and he had only learned seventeen new spells – most of them hexes.

His guardians and Severus were doing everything in their power to help Harry train for the third Task. Sirius had even decided to take a break from muggle-styled fighting, knowing it wouldn't be of much use in the maze, and was teaching Harry some of the easier spells he'd learned in Auror training. 'Easier' spells or not, it took a lot of hard work for Harry to master them, as even these basic spells were above NEWT level.

Lastly; the four Champions were helping each other. Somehow, in between homework, training with Sirius, training with Remus, training with Severus _and_ training with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and the twins, Harry also found time to train with Cedric, Fleur, Viktor and Cho. The older students were able to help Harry with some NEWT-level spells Hermione hadn't thought of whilst Harry was able to help them with several spells his guardians and Hermione had helped him learn, but which weren't touched upon in lessons at Hogwarts. One afternoon Ron had made the fatal mistake of mentioning that it was odd they were all helping each other when they were supposed to be competing- he'd had to endure a rather long lecture from both Harry and Hermione on how friendship worked and on the fact that the Tournament was supposed to be _friendly_, not overly-competitive.

Between everything he was doing, time seemed to be flying past Harry and before he knew it it was the 24th of June. McGonagall came up to him just as he was about to take a bite of toast and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You have to go down to the Quidditch pitch after dinner tonight," his Head of House told him in a much softer voice than usual.

"Okay." McGonagall looked like she wanted to say something more, but in the end she opted for a simple 'good luck'.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

After dinner that night, Harry headed down to the Quidditch pitch with Cedric. Neither of them said anything to each other. Harry felt he would be sick if he opened his mouth. They found Bagman, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Maxime, Fleur and Viktor already waiting by the maze. The adults were all talking to each other, but Fleur and Viktor were as silent as both Harry and Cedric.

Students began piling down soon after and the stands filled up quickly. Harry saw Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley and Bill Weasley all sitting together near the front, but couldn't find the energy in him to wave to them.

Professors Moody, Snape and Hagrid soon joined the group of adults conversing with Bagman. After only five minutes, Professor McGonagall beckoned all the Champions over. After glancing at each other, the four students obliged.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," McGonagall told them. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air and one of us will come and collect you. Do you understand?"

The Champions nodded meekly and McGonagall, Snape, Moody and Hagrid all left the group, taking up positions around the maze. Bagman waited until they were all in place before pointing his wand at his throat and casting a silent '_Sonorus'_ charm.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Bagman said brightly, his magically magnified voice echoing around the stands. The third, and final, Task of this Tournament is about to begin…"

Harry let himself zone out, his own thoughts washing over Bagman's voice. The final Task… he'd be free after this. No more sleepless nights to study and practice, no more stressful dreams that showed him failing all the tasks…

"Harry," Cedric nudged him. "You've to go first. You need to go over there," he pointed towards one of the four entrances to the maze.

"Thanks," Harry said softly before walking nervously forward.

"On my whistle," Bagman called over. "Three… two… one…" and he blew; a sharp, high sound that echoed around the grounds.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry entered the maze slowly, keeping a very tight hold on his wand. He'd barely taken ten steps in when he heard a rushing sound behind him and whirled around to see the hedges had moved, closing in on him. He wasn't allowed out, then. Shuddering a little at how dark the maze now was, Harry cast a silent 'Lumos' to allow him to see.

Harry wandered through the maze, taking completely random routes. He didn't want to rely on the 'Point Me' spell the whole way through; it felt rather like cheating.

By the time he'd been in ten minutes, a familiar feeling was beginning to rise in the pit of Harry's stomach. Something was wrong… why hadn't he run into any creatures yet? From the off-hand comments he'd heard Sirius and Remus making, he should have ran into a dozen by now. He whirled around as he heard a rustling in the hedge; a rustling that was all too familiar to the night he'd learned about the Third Task…

A moment later, a body tumbled out of the hedge. It was Crouch; his body scratched from the hedge but otherwise the same as the night he'd died. He had the same clothes, the same wrinkled face, the same muddy hair from travelling for far too long without washing… and the same lifeless eyes, gazing up at the sky but not seeing anything. Harry felt himself freeze as he stared at the body of Crouch… except it wasn't Crouch anymore… it was Remus… no, it was Sirius…

"Stop," Harry whispered, but it kept on changing… Hermione… Ron… Ginny… "Please," Harry felt himself drop to his knees. Neville… Severus… Cedric… Cho… then, it disappeared with a crack. Harry looked up with brighter-than-usual eyes to see a rather pale Cedric standing with his wand pointing at the space Cho's dead body had previously occupied.

"You okay?" Cedric asked nervously.

"Yeah," said Harry as he stood up shakily. "It was only a Boggart… thanks."

"I thought it used to be a Dementor," Cedric said softly as Harry walked over to his friend.

"Until the night Crouch died, it was. Well, I thought it _still_ was- I haven't been near a Boggart since the end of last year."

"Right," Cedric nodded, still looking a little pale. "Er- I better get on…"

"Yeah…" Harry trailed off, glancing around him. He had reached a fork. Cedric gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze before heading off down one of the forks – the right one. Harry glanced back at where the Boggart had been for a moment before shaking himself out of it and taking the other fork; the left one.

Harry's pace was much slower and cautious now. He still felt rather shaky from the Boggart and couldn't help but feel annoyed at himself; he should have realized the moment it appeared that it was only a harmless creature. Instead he'd let himself get sucked into his wild imagination… it had reminded him of his nightmares so much…

His chosen path was quite deserted, which sparked something at the back of his mind. _I should've run into more than just a Boggart by now_. Harry kept his wand held in front of him, ready to act at the slightest hint of something being wrong… which was just as well, for out of the looming darkness a small, furry creature leapt at him. It latched onto Harry's wrist and started clawing at it, trying to get his watch.

"You're a Niffler," Harry said, grinning at the little furball. "Ouch- fierce little bugger, aren't you?" he asked as it cut into his wrist, leaving a small, red slash. He used his other hand to pull it off him before stunning it. That done, he left it lying at the side of the hedge, knowing Hagrid would make sure it was alright after.

It was barely a minute later that he heard it; a loud, high-pitched scream that was most definitely feminine.

"Fleur," Harry whispered. He considered taking off towards her direction, but after a moment he decided against it. One of the teachers would find her and he still had a Task to complete… and the faster he did it, the better. Still feeling guilty about not checking up on Fleur, Harry forced himself to carry on.

His path was oddly empty again. His path was still slow and cautious, his mind still unusually alert. In his head he kept running through the dozens of spells he'd learned in the past month, of all his lessons with Sirius, Remus and Severus…

"Where is everything?" Harry murmured aloud, scanning the area as he walked. "Bagman said there'd be a lot of creatures… where are they all?" He hadn't really expected an answer, but he still sighed when silence was all that greeted him. He just wanted to get _out_ of here… something was dreadfully wrong… he could feel it; he could _taste_ it… Sirius always told him to trust his instincts… so did Severus and Remus, come to think of it, though Sirius said it far more often…

"Listen to your instincts," Harry sighed. "But what do I do when my instincts are telling me to get my ass as far away from this maze as possible?"

Eventually, after nearly half an hour of walking silently through the maze, Harry gave up on his 'no-cheating-of-any-sort' policy and used another one of Remus' versions of the _Point Me_ spell. It helped a lot; he only ran into one other dead end… and soon, right up ahead, he could see the cup; bright and silver, gleaming where the faint light of Harry's _Lumos_ spell hit it and glowing slightly of its own accord… and someone? Yes; there was definitely someone standing near the cup. Harry didn't bother speeding up, as he'd rather one of the others got the cup. They'd asked to be in this Tournament, he hadn't. _They_ were the ones who deserved to win, not Harry. As he got closer, Harry could see it was Cedric who was up ahead… but the older Hufflepuff was standing still. He wasn't moving… but he didn't look immobilised; more like he was waiting for something.

"Cedric?" Harry asked quietly. Inside, his mind was screaming at him to stay away from Cedric, that something was terribly wrong. Harry pushed it aside, though: he was not going to leave Cedric standing there if something was wrong… friends didn't desert friends just because something felt off, right? He was halfway to the cup now. Cedric looked up at him, but didn't say anything. As Harry got closer, he could feel a headache coming on… "Bugger!" said Harry angrily. He aimed his wand at Cedric, but the Hufflepuff had already brought up a shield… and now footsteps were coming from behind.

It was Viktor. As the Bulgarian moved closer, Harry's headache increased and he realized he was trapped. Viktor and Cedric had been placed under the Imperius… and both of them had shields up, as though they knew what Harry would do if they didn't. Of course, they both knew he'd stunned Ginny when _she'd_ been placed under the curse, months ago on that Hogsmeade trip. Harry felt a curse hit him and instantly tried to whack himself on the head- and failed miserably. His mouth still worked, though. _Not a proper, full body-bind then_.

"Idiot," Harry grumbled to himself as Viktor pointed his wand at Harry to move him along the ground… towards the cup… "What does Severus always tell you? _Never_ turn your back on someone you can't predict the actions of… _bloody_, stupid idiot. Can't even move to shoot red sparks into the air, either... Fuck, fuck, _fuck_ my head!" Neither Viktor nor Cedric were paying any attention to Harry's rambling, though Harry found he couldn't care much at the moment. Cedric soon grasped Harry's hand and the two dragged him over to the cup, worsening his already splitting headache. _Note to self,_ Harry thought bitterly, _never let someone under the Imperius Curse touch you. This nearly feels as bad as a scar-headache_. He let out a small, pained groan as the two stopped and stood still. It was taking _all _of his willpower not to let his eyes tear up; his head was _killing_ him. Cedric and Viktor didn't even glance at each other as, keeping a hold of Harry, each grabbed a handle of the cup. A familiar jerk behind his naval told a panicked Harry that the cup was a portkey and he was instantly thrown into a world of spinning colours.

They landed in a graveyard. It was starting to get dark, but it wasn't quite there yet. As the three landed and toppled to the ground, Harry realized with a start that he could move again. The second thing he realized was that his headache was gone; Cedric and Viktor were no longer under the Imperius curse and were looking at him with worried, guilty expressions. The third thing he noticed was that something in the back of his mind was ticking away, telling him something was _very_ wrong and he was being idiotic to just sit here when he was Merlin-knows-where.

"The cup vas a portkey," said Viktor as he gazed at the cup with wide eyes.

"Harry-" Cedric started, but Harry held up a hand to shush him.

"Don't bother apologising," Harry said sharply as he stood up, drawing his wand. "You were under the Imperius, I know that… and I know why. They wanted me here… they knew I wouldn't touch the cup if I could help it…"

"Vhat are you on about?" Viktor asked nervously as he, too, drew his wand.

"Death Eaters," Harry murmured, turning on the spot… they were here, he knew it. "Voldemort wanted me here. I don't know why…"

"Harry, Viktor… over there," Cedric said, pointing over to an approaching figure. Harry kept his wand trained on the figure, but didn't stun him. He regretted it instantly. The figure had fired two silent curses at them… or perhaps the words were simply too quiet to hear… and now two completely identical beams of green light were now heading towards Cedric and Viktor.

_

* * *

_

Okay. The second-last chapter is up! There may be a few errors; I got a bit lazy with checking it over towards the end, hehe.  
Chapter fifteen (the final chapter!!) will be up on either Saturday or Monday... and chapter _one_ of year 5 will definitely be going up on Monday, so long as my internet doesn't cut out again. So, the finale; would you rather have it on Saturday or Monday? Let me know!

Don't forget to review, guys. You have no idea how good it makes me feel! (Or, if you're a writer yourself, perhaps you do).


	16. Voldemort Returns

**Harry Potter Year 4: Voldermort Returns**

Chapter 15

_Recap: _

They landed in a graveyard. It was starting to get dark, but it wasn't quite there yet. As the three landed and toppled to the ground, Harry realized with a start that he could move again. The second thing he realized was that his headache was gone; Cedric and Viktor were no longer under the Imperius curse and were looking at him with worried, guilty expressions. The third thing he noticed was that something in the back of his mind was ticking away, telling him something was _very_ wrong and he was being idiotic to just sit here when he was Merlin-knows-where.

"The cup vas a portkey," said Viktor as he gazed at the cup with wide eyes.

"Harry-" Cedric started, but Harry held up a hand to shush him.

"Don't bother apologising," Harry said sharply as he stood up, drawing his wand. "You were under the Imperius, I know that… and I know why. They wanted me here… they knew I wouldn't touch the cup if I could help it…"

"Vhat are you on about?" Viktor asked nervously as he, too, drew his wand.

"Death Eaters," Harry murmured, turning on the spot… they were here, he knew it. "Voldemort wanted me here. I don't know why…"

"Harry, Viktor… over there," Cedric said, pointing over to an approaching figure. Harry kept his wand trained on the figure, but didn't stun him. He regretted it instantly. The figure had fired two silent curses at them… or perhaps the words were simply too quiet to hear… and now two completely identical beams of green light were now heading towards Cedric and Viktor.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Harry couldn't react fast enough, he seemed to _freeze_, and he could do nothing but watch… watch as a green spell hit Viktor… _all_ _he_ _could_ _do_ _was_ _watch_ as one of his _best_ _friends_ fell to the ground at an unnatural angle and lay there, his lifeless glassy eyes staring into nothing, exactly how Crouches eyes had only a month ago. Cedric had dodged the spell, though, and was lying on the ground where he'd fallen, staring at Viktor with wide eyes. Harry's eyes were stinging, his mind blank… Harry shook his head slightly, trying to snap himself out of it. _Get a hold of yourself, boy_, said a voice that sounded remarkably like his uncle's. _Do something before you have a second death on your murdering shoulders_.

"Petrificus Totalus," Harry whispered, pointing his wand at Cedric. He glanced behind him to see the figure in black was still slowly approaching him. He kneeled down, as though mourning his friends, and spoke in a fast and quiet whisper. "Play dead," he warned quickly, tightening his hold on his wand. "They'll leave you alone if you do. Don't try and fight the spell-" but Harry couldn't continue as he sensed a spell flying towards him. Instincts kicking in, he leapt over Cedrics body and started running, forcing all of his energy into it, dodging between numerous old, cracked grey gravestones. He could hear the figure following him, which was good; he didn't want any attention drawn to Cedric incase someone noticed he was alive… it was bad enough they'd got Viktor… _stop it, Harry!_ He scolded himself angrily. _You're in an unknown place that's probably crawling with Death Eaters and if you don't get your act together Cedric may well end up dead too! Concentrate! _

Harry automatically dodged another stunning spell he felt coming from behind him then rolled off to the side as he saw a flash of read coming towards him from the front. _Thank god for Sirius' lessons on dodging!_ Harry quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, thankful that he'd learned it, and stood up. He could see three Death Eaters wandering through the gravestones. Taking careful aim, he stunned all three in a whisper – he hadn't learned non-verbal stunning yet - within the space of five seconds before setting off… being the idiot that he was, though, he failed to notice the tell-tale signs of a trip jinx and a moment later he found himself sprawled on the ground with a Death Eater standing in front of him.

"Thought you could escape with a Disillusionment Charm did you?" the Death Eater asked in an amused voice that sounded like a growl. "Lucius warned us you'd become fond of that spell," he continued with a sneer as he immobilised Harry and cancelled the invisibility Charm. That done, he used his wand to float Harry along in the air beside him. "Our Lord will be most pleased to see you."

Harry was tied roughly to a magically-enlarged gravestone; he could feel the magical energy pouring off of it, seeping into his skin… it wasn't quite giving him a headache, but he knew it was a somewhat dark spell that had done it. _Why they couldn't use a nice, simple Enlargement Charm is beyond me_. Shaking his head to clear his mind and trying to ignore the tingling on his skin, Harry focused on the scene in front of him. There were easily fifty Death Eaters, each clad in black with a white mask covering their faces. Each was standing at a certain spot, forming a large semi-circle around one of the largest cauldrons Harry had ever seen- a grown _man_ could fit quite comfortably into it.

"Look who we have here," a cool voice said; one of the black-clad Death Eaters had approached Harry. Even without the trace of white-blonde hair that was visible beneath the hood, Harry could tell immediately who it was. He would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Malfoy," Harry spat, glaring at the figure. Lucius Malfoy laughed and half-turned to glance at his fellow Voldemort-followers.

"Do you see that man, Harry?" Lucius asked softly, pointing to a figure. "That's Wormtail. I believe you have a personal grudge against him," the figure in question gave a small whimper and glanced away, unable to hold Harry's glaring gaze for more than a few seconds. "That woman," Lucius pointed again, "is Bellatrix. I do believe she is the one who put your friend's- Longbottom's- parents permanently in the mental ward of St. Mungos. And lastly, I have a secret for you, Harry," Lucius leaned in and whispered, in a cold and amused tone, "the man standing beside Bellatrix is none other than Severus Snape. Your uncle isn't as good a person as you thought he was, is he?"

"He's a better man than you'll ever be," Harry replied tonelessly as Malfoy drew back.

"You're rather loyal to him," Malfoy retorted coolly. "Oh dear, I think that's my cue to leave. I do believe our… ah, _surprise_ is almost ready."

Harry said nothing as Malfoy left, but inside he was fuming. And- good Merlin, poor Severus! He'd hated spying for the Order; more often than not, in the first war, he'd come back barely conscious from his punishments… and if the Death Eaters were all gathering, then Harry knew it was _not_ a pleasant thing that was waiting in store for him… he glanced up and caught Severus' gaze; he couldn't see the older mans face, but he'd gotten rather good at reading his eyes… and Severus was afraid. Not for himself; oh no. Severus was afraid for Harry… and that, more than anything, was what sent Harry's mind into a panic- though he still managed to appear calm on the outside, at least _one_ useful thing had come from being the Dursleys' victim… there was no way he was going to let _Voldemorts lap-dogs_ know he was scared.

He couldn't help the gasp of pain that escaped his mouth, though, as a new Death Eater approached with a small bundle held in their arms… Voldemort held in their arms. Harry's eyes were watering as pain seared through his scar, but he bit his lip, refusing to cry out as he watched the figure lower Voldemort into the cauldron, splashing some of the red liquid up over the edge. A second Death Eater lit a fire under it, and the potion started to spark… steam started billowing out of it very fast… someone was talking, murmuring the words to a ritual… someone was screaming in agony as something heavy plopped into the cauldrons contents – _was that a hand?_… people were laughing… someone was approaching Harry with a vial… they cut his forearm, and Harry didn't make a sound as blood flowed freely down his arm and into the vial… someone was doing the ritual again… and the steam was changing colour. Instead of thick and black, it was turning grey… white… the sparks were stopping… the Death Eaters were silent… the steam was thinning; Harry could see into the cauldron… a tall, skinny and bald figure was rising out of it… Harry's scar was burning so much he felt sure his head would burst open, but still he kept his mouth clamped shut. A robe was passed to the figure, who slipped it on before seeming to float out of the cauldron, landing in front of it. And there he stood; a human body; dressed in a long, black cloak, and a face that was a cross between a humans and a snakes. The face was pale, the nose flat- all he really had was slits for nostrils. His mouth was thin, the lips the same colour as his skin. And as his cold, red eyes locked onto Harry's, and Harry's scar seemed to burn even more painfully, Harry knew one fact with dead certainty. Lord Voldemort had risen again.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Voldemort wasted no time in stepping towards Harry, completely ignoring his followers.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said softly as he stood in front of Harry. "We meet at last."

"We've met before, Tom," Harry spat as coldly as he could through his pain.

"Don't call me Tom," he hissed. "My name is Lord Voldemort."

"Your nickname is," Harry corrected, closing his eyes for a moment against the pain in his scar. Voldemort was silent for a moment, then he continued on as if Harry had never called him by his real name.

"You are tied, Harry Potter, to the gravestone which marks the remains of my fathers body. He was a muggle, and a very foolish one at that. He decided he did not like magic, and he left my mother. She died giving birth to me, and I was left to grow up in an orphanage." Voldemort had started pacing, but he stopped again and turned to look at the cauldron from which he had risen. "Still, a use has come of him. Without his help, I would never have managed to create this body for myself." Voldemort, seemingly bored with being sentimental about his past, turned his back on Harry to face his Death Eaters. Harry didn't listen to the speech Voldemort gave them; he had managed to wandlessly summon his wand to him. All he had to do was get the angle right and… there; he'd done it. He quickly, and silently, cast a severing charm on the ropes, but didn't move- not yet. He would be dead the moment he so much as shuffled a foot. No, he had to wait until everyone was completely distracted… or if he was desperate…

Harry forced his attention to latch onto Voldemort again just as the Dark Lord in question turned back to face Harry.

"And now, standing before me, is the legendary Boy-Who-Lived," Voldemort said in his high, cold voice. It was even higher in his new body. "I know you have freed yourself, Harry. Step forward. It is time that we duel and prove, once and for all, that Lord Voldemort is impossible to defeat!"

Harry paled at being caught out so easily, but he nevertheless forced himself to step forward on only slightly shaky legs. He'd faced worse than this, right? Quirrel, the Basilisk, hundreds of Dementors… the Dementors had been _bad_…

"I believe you were taught how to duel in your second year," Voldemort said coolly as he and Harry stood still, facing each other. Harry didn't move; didn't answer. "Before we start, we must bow to each other."

Harry inclined his head slightly; copying Voldemort's motion. _Not much point in refusing to 'bow', is there?_

"And now, Harry Potter, we duel. _Crucio!_"

Once again mentally thanking Sirius for his lessons on dodging, Harry easily avoided the red light sent at him and ducked behind a gravestone. He paused for a moment before sending a stunner towards Voldemort, who easily blocked it. A second later the gravestone had exploded on Harry, the broken pieces of rock cutting and bruising his skin. Ignoring the new injuries, Harry pushed up a shield to block an orange spell that had been sent his way before dodging a second beam of red light. Several more spells – yellow, green, blue, green, yellow, red – all flew towards him. He blocked two and dodged the rest. It took him a moment to realize that most of the spells being flung at him were nonverbal… he had absolutely no idea what he was up against. He let out a small cry as a deep blue spell hit his leg, causing a large, deep gash to appear. Blood started trickling down his leg at a frighteningly fast pace, but Harry ignored it and kept dodging Voldemorts spells, occasionally sending his own- mainly stunners and hexes- back.

The pain in his scar, the pain in his leg and the pain running through his head from the dark spells being cast at him were slowly cutting away at Harry's energy, though, and he felt himself tiring fast. It was harder to run, to jump… it was harder to bring up a fast shield, to send a spell whilst Voldemort paused for whatever reason…

Just as Harry began to think he didn't stand a chance, one of his spells collided with Voldemorts. Rather than reflect off each other, though, as spells normally did, the two beams of light- two red ones- connected. His wand was vibrating; burning up. It was as though his wand had been stuck in a plug and electricity was coursing through it… he couldn't let go of it… Voldemort looked as confused as Harry felt as he held his vibrating wand in one hand.

It was barely a second later that Harry felt himself being lifted off the ground. Voldemort was rising with him, too; each connected to each other by a thin golden strand that reached into both their wands. They were nearly fifty feet above the frightened, confused Death Eaters when the gold strand finally splintered, breaking off in a criss-crossing movement that left them trapped inside what was basically a large, floating, golden cage. Their wands were still vibrating; a new thread connecting them, a silver one… it had large beads on it, too, that were working their way towards Harry. The sound of a Phoenix singing had filled the air, bringing back memories of Harry's second year when he had thought he was dying, down in the Chamber of Secrets. Fawkes had saved him then… 

_Don't break the connection_.

Harry blinked at the voice in his head, but somehow he knew the voice was right, and he vowed to follow it's instruction. Despite how tired he was, how _sore_ he was, he put all his energy into forcing the magical beads of light back to Voldemort… and his wand was shaking less now, Voldemorts shaking more… and Voldemort had either not heard the voice, or the voice had not spoken to him, for Voldemort didn't fight the beads as strongly as Harry had, and they were entering his wand… one, two, three, four, five; all beads were now inside Voldemorts wand, which was vibrating so violently the Dark Lord had a pained look of concentration on his face and was having to use both hands to grip it properly. Screams of agony erupted from the wand so suddenly that Harry couldn't help but flinch back.

It took a moment, but suddenly it was as though a ghost was climbing out of Voldemorts wand… Harry recognised the man; it was the one from his dream last Summer… but there were more people; he could see another head. Bertha Jorkins, the missing Ministry worker, was the next out, and she gave Harry a sympathetic smile. Voldemorts face was the perfect picture of surprise, shock and anger, but Harry didn't care. Another head was coming; a head he couldn't have prepared himself for, no matter how much he tried… his _mother_ had just climbed out of Voldemorts wand.

"Your father's coming," she told him, her voice echoing as though far, far away. Harry's throat swelled up as he looked at her; his beautiful mother. She was a translucent, white colour, so he was unable to see her amber hair or bright green eyes, but she was beautiful… and she was right; a moment later a mirror image of Harry climbed out of Voldemorts wand… he was much taller than Harry, and less skinny, but he had the same glasses, same nose, same messy hair… and still more people were coming. People Harry didn't recognise at all, though one looked oddly like the teenage Riddle…

At last, it seemed there were no more people to come. They were all crowded around Voldemort, and though Harry could hear voices, it was impossible to make out the words… Voldemort looked scared, though, and extremely angry…

Now they were turning to Harry, kind smiles on their faces.

"My little baby, all grown up," his mother smiled, her eyes looking teary. His father wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he flashed Harry a proud smile.

"You've made us proud, Harry; so proud. Never forget that, all right?" Harry had lost his voice, he couldn't reply… so he merely nodded. His parents seemed to understand, though.

"When the connection is broken, we will be unable to stay for long," said one of the figures Harry didn't recognise.

"We can stay for a few moments, though," his mother told them, glancing at the unfamiliar figure. "We can hold him back for you, Harry."

"You have to get to the cup," his father told him quietly. "Fast. We can't hold him back for long. As soon as you break the connection, you have to run. The cup's still a portkey."

"I understand," Harry hated how croaky his voice sounded.

"Then you must go… break the connection, Harry. We love you, don't ever forget that, alright?" his mother sounded like she wanted to cry, and Harry nodded silently. He gazed at them for one last moment before pulling his wand violently upwards, breaking the connection.

He dropped to the ground instantly, and though a drop like that should have broken his legs, it didn't hurt at all; the magic was protecting him. He could hear Voldemort's shrieks of anger as the ghost-like bodies surrounded him, shielding Harry from him. Harry himself ran faster than he'd ever ran in his life… and as he found himself approaching Cedric, he cancelled the body-binding charm… he leapt to the side to avoid a stunner from a Death Eater…

"Grab Viktor," Harry yelled, and though Cedric, didn't understand, he immediately obeyed, and all Harry had to do was jump, dodge… he was lying on his stomach next to Cedric. Taking one last deep breath, Harry grabbed Cedric's arm with his right hand before grabbing the cup with his left, and the two were thrown once again, for the second time that night, into a world of spinning colours.

They landed face down in the grass, back in the center of the maze- only, the hedges were gone. Harry shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position, copied only a moment later by Cedric. Beside Cedric lay Viktor's body, also face down. The two stared at each other for a long moment; Cedric looking horrified, worried, scared, concerned, upset… Harry face was blank, though, as if under a mask. When he heard noises behind him, he turned his head slightly to see several people rushing towards them- Sirius, Remus, Mr and Mrs Diggory, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, the Weasley twins, Fleur, Cho, Tonks… Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Moody…

"Harry!" Sirius pulled the teen into his arms as soon as he was close enough to. "You're bleeding all over- what the _hell_ happened?"

Harry pulled away from his godfather to see Cedric receiving a similar frantic hug from Cho and his mother.

"Ees he…?" Fleur seemed unable to form the words as she looked at Viktor's body with wide, bright eyes.

"Dead?" Harry suggested tonelessly. "Yes."

"Harry," Remus said in a quiet, yet urgent voice. "Where did the Portkey take you?"

"Little Hangleton," Harry replied in the same toneless voice. "The graveyard."

"The place you-" Sirius started.

"Dreamt about? Yes."

"Harry-" Sirius started again. Harry pulled away, though, and stood up on extremely shaky legs. His headache- both scar-related and curse-related- was gone, but the slash in his leg still ached rather painfully.

"We arrived. Death Eaters came. The shot killing curses- one hit V-Viktor, the other missed Cedric. I immobilised him, and he looked dead. The Death Eaters got me, tied me to Voldemort's fathers grave, took my blood, resurrected Voldemort with some ritual-or-another, made me dual him, something happened that made me see… I dunno, the ghosts, I guess, of people he's killed- that's including mum and dad, by the way- and they helped me escape. We grabbed the portkey and ended up back here. Does that answer all your questions?"

Everyone was looking at him with faces full of horror… concern… disbelief… and suddenly Harry's mask cracked. He couldn't pretend he was fine anymore; he couldn't hide his pain anymore. He dropped to his knees and held his face in his hands. A moment later he felt strong arms wrap themselves around him- Sirius' arms, he guessed- and he sobbed into his godfather's chest.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Half an hour later Harry was half-asleep and was jolted awake as he felt himself moving… Sirius was carrying him.

"Whay you takin' me?" Harry asked sleepily. Sirius' arms squeezed him gently.

"Hospital Wing," Sirius told him after a moment. "We need to get your wounds looked at. I'm surprised you managed to walk at all, that's a pretty deep cut you've got on your leg." Harry shrugged slightly.

"Where's Cedric?" he asked finally.

"With Albus," came Remus' voice from beside Sirius. "He's putting his memories into a pensieve at the moment, though it won't be much use… he didn't see anything that happened."

"I'll need to put mine in," said Harry. It wasn't a question.

"Not until you're ready," Sirius promised, but Harry shook his head.

"No… after Madam Pomfrey fixes me up, I'll need to put them in… Voldemort's back, Sirius," Harry whispered brokenly. "People need to know… and that idiot – I mean, _Fudge_ will need proof before he'll believe me…"

His guardians said nothing in reply and soon Harry found himself being gently lowered onto a soft, comfortable bed. His tired mind barely registered Madam Pomfrey waving her wand over him, or potions being forced into his mouth. He didn't even notice when his glasses were removed, when he was tucked into bed or when his vision started to darken. He couldn't seem to tell the difference between being awake and being asleep.

He slept for seventeen hours straight, according to Madam Pomfrey when he woke up. He just shrugged disinterestedly as he dressed himself, ignored his breakfast and crept away when she went into her office. Harry was acting on autopilot; he couldn't seem to feel any real emotion at the moment… he was simply 'going through the motions' as his uncle used to say. It was slightly odd that his guardians hadn't been waiting by his bedside, but then again, with Voldemort back they probably had a lot to talk about with Dumbledore… speaking of which, he had to see the Headmaster; he had to put his memories into the pensieve. People needed to know Voldemort was back, and he knew his guardians needed to know what happened in the graveyard. Slipping his memories into a pensieve was a lot easier than being forced to talk about it all. The halls were deserted, but it was probably dinnertime. The odd ghost or two would float by, but thankfully they never seemed to notice Harry. Before long, he was standing in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, trying to figure out what the password would be… then it opened. Harry stepped back warily, but no-one came out and the gargoyle rolled its eyes before saying, "I was told to let you in if you came. Quit wasting my time."

"Er, alright," Harry said nervously before walking quickly past it and climbing the spiralling stairs. He felt dizzy by the time he'd reached the top. _Dumbledore really needs to change those stairs. Or are they supposed to disorientate enemies?_ Shaking his head at himself, Harry raised a hand and knocked three times, waiting for Dumbledore's voice to call out 'Enter'.

His guardians, Cedric, McGonagall, Severus, Moody, Dumbledore and Minister Fudge were all in the office, each seated around Dumbledore's large, intricately-designed desk.

"Harry," Sirius was by his side in a second, quickly followed by Remus. "You should be resting-"

"I don't care," Harry said, shaking Sirius' hand off his shoulder. He glanced over to Fudge. "I-I need to put my m-memories in there," he said, pointing at the large pensieve sitting on Dumbledore's desk. "Cedric didn't… he didn't see any of it… and not everyone will believe me without p-proof…"

"Are you sure you're ready, Harry?" Remus asked him softly, sensing that Harry wasn't going to back down.

"No," Harry answered honestly with a shrug. "I wasn't ready for Voldemort either, though, so I doubt it really matters." He stepped around his guardians, locking gazes with Cedric for a moment before standing in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"What do I need to do, sir?"

"I need you to concentrate on everything that happened last night, Harry," Dumbledore told him softly, placing the tip of his wand on Harry's temples. Harry did so, fighting the burning sensation in his eyes. He didn't know how long it took; he showed Cedric and Viktor dragging him to the cup… arriving in the graveyard… Viktor's death… making Cedric pretend he was dead… being chased by Death Eaters, tied to Voldemort's fathers gravestone… the ritual… Voldemort rising… duelling… seeing his parents…

…and finally, arriving back. Harry stepped back, breaking the connection to the wand and Dumbledore gently lowered the memories into the pensieve.

"Will you be alright on your own for a moment, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his bright blue eyes gazing into Harry's bright green ones.

"I'll stay out with him," Cedric said, moving over and placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. Dumbledore nodded his approval before beckoning all the adults forward. Sirius, Remus and Severus all gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before entering the pensieve, and soon Harry and Cedric stood alone with Fawkes in a large, empty office. No-one made a sound for a moment, and Harry eventually turned away and sat down on one of the now vacated chairs. Cedric copied him a moment later, sitting down on the chair to Harry's left.

"You look tired," Cedric stated, watching Harry.

"I feel tired."

"Why'd you come then?" Harry turned to look at Cedric with a raised eyebrow.

"I would've thought it'd be obvious- and I've only said it a dozen times. People are going to need proof, Cedric. They're not going to believe a skinny, fourteen year old who's saying Voldemort's returned unless said skinny fourteen year old can give them proof… besides," Harry said, tearing his gaze away from Cedric's to stare at his clasped hands instead, "Sirius and Remus need to know what happened… or they won't understand why I…why I'll…"

"Self-harm?" Cedric offered, and Harry looked up sharply. "I'm sorry we hid it from you, Harry, but we've known for awhile now. Er… your guardians asked us all to keep an eye on you after Crouch… you know," Cedric looked slightly uncomfortable now and Harry shrugged, dropping his gaze back down.

"Who knows?"

"All of us… Cho, Fleur, Vi-Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna… the Weasley twins, I think… me…"

"Maybe it's better you all know," Harry said after a pause. "I never did like keeping secrets."

Cedric didn't seem to know how to reply to that and the two lapsed into silence again.

"I never thanked you," Cedric said after nearly six full minutes of silence. Harry, who had just stood up, glanced at him. "You saved my life back there… if you hadn't immobilised me…"

"It was nothing," Harry shrugged, continuing his walk to Fawkes' perch. "I'd just watched Viktor… and I wasn't about to lose another friend… besides, what use is all my training on keeping a clear head and thinking logically in the middle of danger if I don't use it?" _Not that I actually kept a clear head… it was all luck, really._ Silence returned as Harry started stroking Fawkes softly, relishing in the gentle feathers beneath his fingertips that seemed to spread a comforting warmth through his body.

Harry whirled around, his wand already in his hand, when he heard a thump behind him. It was just Fudge, though. He looked rather shaky as he took his seat and it was painfully obvious that he was avoiding Harry's eyes. Moody was the next out, followed by McGonagall, then Remus, then Sirius, Severus, and finally; Dumbledore. Harry stayed standing by Fawkes' perch as the adults talked to each other. He kept stroking the golden, fiery plumage, trying desperately to ignore the voices. He didn't want to know what they were saying… at least, he didn't until he heard a crash. He jumped and once again had his wand already in hand as he turned around.

"It's only Fudge, Potter," Moody told him in a softer growl than usual. Harry nodded warily, slipping his wand back into his holster. _Why am I so jumpy today?_

"Might I suggest you go get some rest, Harry?" Dumbledore asked with twinkling, kind blue eyes. Harry let out a small sigh and nodded. They probably wanted to discuss things without him present and besides, he _was_ rather tired.

"Cedric, would you be so kind as to escort Harry to his guardians rooms? After that, I believe Miss Chang wants to see you."

"Okay," Cedric nodded, standing up and heading to the door.

"Bye, Fawkes," Harry told the bird quietly. Fawkes trilled at him as he left with Cedric, putting a small smile onto his face.

The long walk to the Marauders Quarters seemed to take no time at all, as Harry found his mind constantly drifting to other things… his friends, for one. He knew they would be desperate to see him by now.

"D'you want me to wait with you?" Cedric asked, jolting Harry out of his thoughts. They'd reached their destination.

"Nah," Harry shook his head. "I'll be fine- go see Cho. She's probably desperate to see you."

"You sure?" Cedric asked uncertainly.

"Yes," said Harry in a firm tone. "Go."

Cedric eventually did, leaving Harry standing on his own. He glanced around the room before heading into his bedroom, not even bothering to undress before he slid under the covers. He was asleep within seconds.

The next few days were a maze of emotions for Harry; it was as though he was on a rollercoaster ride that kept going up high, down fast, twirling in dizzying circles… he didn't bother going to classes, as it was the last week of school and it was basically all tests that were being done- tests that he, Fleur and Cedric were all excused from. The three spent a large amount of time out by the lake or racing each on their brooms (or, rather, Harry and Cedric raced whilst Fleur watched from the ground) before meeting up with everyone else after their last class.

Apart from going to the toilet, Harry was never alone. Everyone seemed to think he was going to cut himself the minute they turned his back and so refused to leave his side. He was grateful, in a way; they were probably right. He hadn't had any nightmares yet, but he hadn't slept without Dreamless Sleep potions yet either.

On the last day of school, Harry was faced with a rather tearful Fleur Delacour.

"I will meess you, 'Arry," Fleur told him, leaning in to kiss him on each cheek. "Do be careful, won't you? I feel like eet will be eempossible not to worry about you now."

"I'll be careful," Harry assured her, hugging her. "I don't really fancy being captured by Voldemort." Fleur smiled at him before moving on to Cedric. It took the French girl nearly ten minutes to say her goodbyes; Harry, Cedric, Cho, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Ron.

"You'll write to me, won't you, 'Arry?" she asked finally as she stepped towards her fellow classmates. "And you, Cedric?"

"Of course," the two replied simultaneously, smiling at each other. Fleur's smile widened and she waved before stepping into the large, winged-horse-drawn carriage. Durmstrang had left earlier that morning, taking Viktor's magically-preserved body with them.

When the carriage disappeared, Harry turned to face his friends.

"C'mon," he told them, walking past them to the path that led up to the castle. "We'd better go pack. The train leaves in an hour and a half." Sirius and Remus had offered to side-apparate Harry home directly from Hogsmeade, but Harry had declined. This would be Cedric's final train-ride home and Harry wanted to be there with him- he wanted some final time with _all_ his friends, actually.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Two hours later Harry found himself staring out of the window at the ever-changing scenery. He was a little squashed; they'd managed to cram Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Fred, George, Cedric and Cho all into the compartment, which had only really been designed to hold five, possibly six people.

"How long d'you reckon?" Ron asked, and Harry glanced up at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Give him half an hour," Harry replied, grinning at the confused expressions on everyone else present.

"Have we missed something?" Cedric asked, glancing curiously at them.

"Malfoy comes every year," Ron shrugged. "He'll start a fight with us and he always comes off worse. You'd think he'd learned his lesson by now."

"He does, does he?" Cho asked, raising her eyebrows.

"We can handle it," Harry said quickly, trying to prevent a fight. Cho and Cedric _really_ did not like Malfoy.

True enough, it was nearly half an hour later the compartment door slid open and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stood there. Cedric, Cho, Fred, George and Luna had insisted on Disillusioning themselves so they could see what Malfoy usually acted like.

"What do we have here?" Malfoy drawled lazily. "Potty, Mudblood and the Weasels."

"What d'you want now, Malfoy?" Harry asked tiredly.

"Trying to pretend it hasn't happened, are you?" Malfoy asked with a sneer. "Father told me all about it. Tell me, Potty; what was it like seeing your dear Mudblood mother again?" Harry could feel his friends staring at him; he hadn't told anyone about seeing his parents. His hands were shaking violently as he fought to control his temper.

"You've picked the losing side, Potty," Malfoy said smugly. "I told you, back in our first year, didn't I? I told you not to hang around with trash like them," he pointed at Ron, Ginny and Hermione. "Mudbloods and blood-traitors first. Well, second, actually; Viktor was first-"

"Stupefy," Harry hissed and a moment later Malfoy was lying unconscious on the floor. "Take your boyfriend and get lost," Harry told Crabbe and Goyle in a dangerously low voice as he stood up. Hermione, Ron and Ginny had all drawn their wands now, too, and realizing they were outnumbered Crabbe and Goyle quickly picked up Malfoy and ran for it.

"Those insensitive little warts!" Cho cried indignantly, cancelling the Disillusioning charm.

"They've done worse," Harry shrugged, still breathing rather heavily. "We'll need to keep an eye out for them next year. No doubt they'll feel special now that their daddies' are back under Voldemort's protection."

Nothing else big, aside from Ron puking as he ate one too many chocolate frogs, happened on the journey home, and soon the train was pulling in at Kings Cross Station.

"We'll keep in touch," Cedric and Cho promised as they left.

"And we'll visit," Ron promised. The twins, Ginny, Luna and Hermione all nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, guys," Harry smiled. He let the girls hug him, let Ron and the twins clap his shoulder, and then they were gone. Luna was off to find her father, Hermione had ran to her parents and the Weasleys had spotted their mum and Bill over by the barrier. Harry didn't move for a moment as he watched them all with their family and he jumped when he felt two hands simultaneously grasp a shoulder each. Turning his head slightly, he could see it was Sirius and Remus.

"Ready to go home, kiddo?" Sirius asked him, squeezing his shoulder gently.

"Yeah," Harry said, turning to face them with a small smile. "Yeah, I am."

_

* * *

_

Well, here it is. The final chapter... hard to believe I'll never again post up new chapters for this particular fic. It's been a wonderful few months XD. At least I still have something to do; as promised, chapter 1 of year 5 will be up on Monday. I finally finished chapter two properly last night... heh. Y'know, it's amazing... I've only just finished this fic, and I already want to re-write it all! I was looking through chapters one and two earlier, and I was like, 'Ewww... I can totally do better than that!' Haha XD

Well, please review and let me know what you think! And check my profile on Monday for the sequel :-P

Anyhoo, as it's the final chapter, I feel I ought to offer my thanks to certain special people.  
**Cheryl** - my best friend. You've actually been kinda lame with this, but you were supportive anyway, so thanks. Hehe XD  
**Lizzie** - you were my first beta. Thanks so much for helping!  
**Abi** - my second beta. You only betad the one chapter, but you helped me a lot, too, and you were so fun to talk to. Thanks for everything!  
**Roxy** - my third beta. You were brilliant, and I loved chatting to you! Sadly, you haven't been online lately. Thanks!  
**Amber-Chick** - you've reviewed pretty much every chapter, and everything you said has been either really helpful or really motivating. Thanks so much!  
**Clare** - you were the only person, ever, who could put up with my constant rambling of Harry Potter. You seriously rock, gurli.  
I may update this list in future; I'm sure there are others I need to thank but my mind has gone blank.

_PS. I've fixed the previous chapter (I just noticed I had 'pbpbpbpb' all the way through it) and the title (thanks Amber-Chick!)_


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